Never Ending Tale
by Shania Nowhere
Summary: The sequel to "Gundam Fairytales" (read prequel before this or you'll get lost!). It's 2 years after the war ended and life seems to be peaceful and serene, but when random crimes begin to occur and people disappear, the gang is forced to become the heroe
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any show for that matter or its characters, but I do own Precious Barton and Hope Tischner! This is the sequel to "Gundam Fairytales" so if you don't understand some of what's going on in this story, go back and read the first one! Enjoy. . .

The Never Ending Tale

"Duo, Trowa, breakfast is ready!" Rachel called out to her boyfriend from the kitchen. She wiped her hands on her apron and turned as an eager man entered the room, beaming with a cheerful grin.

"Finally, I'm starved!" Duo exclaimed, striding over to Rachel and taking the plate of food she held out to him. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "Thanks." Walking out to the dining table together to eat, Rachel said, "I need to go over to the Sanc Capitol today after you get home and discuss some 'private affairs' with Heero, so you'll be on your own for dinner."

"Awe, TV dinner again? You've been going over to the Capitol for the past week! There's nothing going on that I should be concerned about, is there?" Duo raised his eyebrows as his girlfriend gave him a glare.

"No. . .I'm not much for having an affair, thank you very much. Speaking of breaking marriage vows, when are we going to say ours?"

"Um. . .when I get around to asking you. . ." Duo said, grinning with a mouthful of eggs. Rachel rolled her eyes and said, "Well, you should get around to it soon, I might say yes if someone else comes along and asks me. Where's Trowa, his food's getting cold and eggs are not a reheatable food. . ."

"I'm coming, I had to wake up Precious." Trowa said, walking down the hall with a sleepy 6-year-old following at his heels.

"Daaaaad, can I stay home today?" Precious whined, sitting at the table as her father walked into the kitchen to get their food.

"No, there'll be no one home and you're not old enough to be alone all day. Here, eat your breakfast." Trowa said as he came back out and sat a plate in front of his daughter. She sighed and began to eat obediently.

"You're so lucky your daughter listens to you, I can't get this one to do anything I say!" Duo said with an eye roll, motioning to Rachel.

"Well, that's usually because I can think of a better way to spend our time. I better get ready, my student should be here soon." Rachel said, standing as she took her plate out to the kitchen.

"You've barely eaten anything! I find working on an empty stomach very difficult." Duo commented as he continued to stuff his face.

"Well that's because you work for the Sweepers; collecting junk all day is a tiresome job…" Rachel said with a slight mocking in her tone.

"Hey, Hilde will have my hide if I slack off! You've never seen torture till you work for a 5 foot tall woman with an attitude!" Duo exclaimed.

"Oh whatever, I've met Hilde, she's not all you say she is. . .now hurry up and get going or you'll be late and your 'scary' boss will kill you." Rachel said with a sly grin as she came back out. Duo inhaled the last of his breakfast before Rachel took away his plate and said cheerfully, "Thanks again for the breakfast, babe! See ya later!" He dashed off toward the door, grabbing his saddlebag before racing out the door. Trowa finished his meal and got up, carrying his plate out into the kitchen.

"Oh, excuse me!" Rachel said, bumping into Trowa in the doorway.

"It's my fault. . .sorry." Trowa said, looking down at her calmly. She blinked and inched past him, walking toward the stairs to the second floor of their condo.

__

Trowa's been acting strange lately. . .ever since Duo and I asked him to live with us, he hasn't been the same. Not only that. . .is he getting cuter or something? He was wearing cologne today too. . .he only wears that for business meetings. . .or on dates. What is up with him? Maybe I should ask him about his girlfriend, make sure they're still together. Rachel thought to herself as she ascended the stairs to prepare for her class. As she arranged her art supplies, she turned and bumped into Trowa again.

"Oh, Trowa! Hey, I was just wondering, how are you and Chelsea doing? You've been going out for a week or so. . ." Rachel said cheerfully, trying to break the awkward moment as she continued her work.

"We broke up. . .she just wasn't my type." Trowa said dully, reclining against the wall and crossing his arms.

"Wasn't your type? She was perky!"

"Too perky."

"Friendly?"

"Too friendly."

"Social?"

"She flirted with other guys."

"Oh. . .well, what was wrong with the girl before her? I thought she was perfect for you."

"She was too needy. . .she talked a lot too. . .kept asking me questions."

"What, like how you were feeling?" Rachel mocked. Trowa narrowed his eyes and said, "She just wasn't my type."

"Every other girl you've dated wasn't your type! Is there one that is or haven't you decided what your type is yet?" Rachel rolled her eyes as she set up her easel.

"I have. . .I know what I want." Trowa said quietly. Rachel turned back and blinked, noticing he was staring at her.

"Uh. . .what might that be?" she asked uneasily.

"Daaaadd. . .I have to go to school!" Precious hollered up the stairs.

"Alright, I'm coming." Trowa called back, not taking his eyes off of Rachel as he got up to walk away. He turned and strode down the hallway slowly as his daughter bounded up the stairs and ran to him. She followed him as he walked into her room to help her pack for school.

__

Geez, what's his problem! Rachel thought to herself, taking a deep breath as she calmed her pounding heart. She heard a ring at the door and jumped, slowly sighing as she trotted down the hall to answer the door. She grabbed the doorknob and opened the door to a smiling face.

"Hope, welcome! Right on time as usual. Come on in, I'm almost ready for our lesson." Rachel said with a smile back, opening the door more and waving her hand to usher her student in.

"Thank you for having me so early, my father is leaving on a business trip this afternoon and I wanted to see him off." Hope said quietly, taking off her jacket as she walked in. Just as Rachel closed the door, Precious bounced down the stairs and smiled at the visitor.

"Halo!" Precious chirped in her light German accent.

"Hello. . ." Hope smiled sweetly.

"Get your shoes on, Precious." Trowa said as he walked down after his daughter. Looking up at the two young women, he paused behind Precious as she sat down on the stairs to put her shoes on.

"Hope, this is one of the residents of the condo, his name is Trowa Barton. Trowa, this is my very talented student, Hope Tischner." Rachel introduced everyone.

"Hello." Trowa said mildly, barely looking at Hope.

"Hello. . ." Hope said shyly. She glanced down at Precious and saw her frustration with her shoes. She knelt and said, "You're tying it wrong, honey. . .like this." She took the shoelaces and quickly demonstrated the bunny ears method.

"Ooh. . .I knew it was something like that!" Precious said with a grin. Hope giggled and stood, glanced at Trowa who had been watching her.

"And is this another of the residents?" Hope asked Rachel, trying not to make much eye contact with the girl's father.

"Yes, this is Precious, Trowa's daughter." Rachel said, looking up at Trowa and tilting her head to motion for him to get out of the way. He leaned over and picked up his daughter, who immediately giggled and squirmed around to make things harder.

"Oh, so you're married?" Hope said curiously.

"No. . .she's adopted." Rachel whispered. Hope nodded and watched the family talk amongst themselves before Trowa caught the little girl in a jacket and managed to get her in it.

"We're going now, we'll see you tonight." Trowa said, opening the door and scooting his daughter out into the hallway.

"I won't be home, you'll have to fend for yourself, sorry. Bye!" Rachel said, waving and starting up the stairs. Hope followed shyly and glanced over her shoulder at the closing door.

"Rachel. . ." Hope said quietly in a questioning tone.

"Yes?" Rachel said over her shoulder.

"Was. . .Trowa ever married?"

"No, we're still trying to get him to stay with a girlfriend for longer than a week." Rachel said with a sigh.

"He sure is quiet. . ." Hope commented, her cheeks rosy as she smiled.

"Yeah, and picky. . .why the sudden curiosity?" Rachel asked, hopeful that she liked him. Hope looked up at her and blushed, saying in a fluster, "Oh, I was just wondering, I haven't met him before. I've met your boyfriend, I didn't think you lived with anyone else."

"Yeah, he moved in about a month ago, his last apartment's rent went up so we took him in." Rachel winked. Hope smiled and said as she sat down behind the easel, "That's nice of you. . .is he an old friend?"

"Yes, from when I was first living in the area about 3 years ago. Shall we begin today's lesson?" Rachel said, trying to get off the subject of Trowa.

"Oh, of course. . ." Hope said, trying to hide her obvious blush.

"Trowa, you're late. . .again. Where've you been?" Catherine called out from her dressing room as her clown dashed by out of costume. He doubled back and leaned against the doorway, saying, "Sorry, I woke up late and had to drive Precious to school, then I got stuck in traffic. . ."

"Well, hurry up and get ready, we go on in 5 minutes!" Catherine said, waving him off as she put her earrings on. He ran to his dressing room and pulled on the doorknob.

__

Locked? But how. . .He didn't waste time fooling with it. He dashed outside and ducked under the edge of the tent, only to roll into a pair of slender, fair legs. He blinked and found himself staring up the woman's miniskirt.

"Uh. . ." He blinked again and the woman looked down at him, gasping as she jumped away. He watched her as she turned away, seeming to hide her face as she ran to the door and yanked it open, leaping out and disappearing out of sight.

__

What. . .was she doing in here? Trowa thought to himself, standing up slowly as he brushed the dirt from his clothes. He looked toward his trunk and found his costume missing.

"Oh great. . ." He grumbled, running toward the door as he remembered seeing something in the woman's arms. He almost collided with Catherine as he ran out to search for her and she said, "Trowa, what are you doing!"

"Did you see a woman run by? She's stole my costume." Trowa explained, pushing past her to find the woman.

"Trowa, wait! You have an extra costume in my room, I got it back from the cleaners today." Catherine called out. Trowa paused, looking back and then out of the tent where he assumed the thief had fled. He sighed and turned around, following Catherine into her room to retrieve the spare costume.

"Hello, miss Rachel. . .Heero requested you meet him in the upstairs bedroom as he is still in a meeting. . ." Pagan met Rachel at the front door of the Sanc Embassy, escorting her in and taking her coat. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Pagan. Is Mrs. Yuy home?"

"I'm afraid she's away on business, treaty discussion with Russia." Pagan replied, walking slowly over to the coat rack and hanging the coat gingerly on one of the hooks.

"Still? I would have figured they'd give in by now! They're being more trouble than it seems they're worth. . .though, I suppose being as powerful as they are, it's important to make peace. . .in case they decide they've had enough of all the quiet and start a war."

"Indeed. . .this way, miss." Pagan politely said, showing her to the master bedroom often used by the heads of the household, when they're not on trips or busy working on papers in their offices. He opened the heavy oak doors and stepped aside as Rachel strolled in, looking around the brightly-lit room. The tall glass windows let in the evening sun, the light showing against the soft cream colored walls. It seemed to bring more life to the ivy stencil accenting the many corners of the room and giving it a delicate, royal feel that brought a sigh out of Rachel.

__

This room always gets to me. . .it's like something out of a fairytale. . .Rachel thought, smiling as she sat down on the queen size bed, slowly sinking into the supple mattress. She lazily drummed her fingers on the bed, looking up and around at the lace canopy over the bed, gently swaying in the breeze blowing in through the ajar windows. With a deep breath, she sighed and closed her eyes, imagining living in a place like this.

"Been waiting long?" Rachel's eyes snapped open and she looked over at the door. Heero stood leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over the black suede suit he was wearing.

"Not too long, I think. . .you ready?" Rachel grinned and stood, folding her hands behind her back and staring at him expectantly. He sighed and stepped in, closing the doors behind him. He removed his jacket and draped it over a nearby chair, slowly unbuttoning his sleeves as he said, "On the bed or would you like to try it elsewhere this time?"

"That's fine, it shouldn't take me too long and then we can move on to more. . .interesting places. . .maybe the chair?" She slyly cocked her eyebrows and he arched one of his.

"That's. . .so dull though. . ." Heero said, walking over to the bed and crawling onto it, watching her closely. She rolled her eyes and said, "Stop that, it looks wrong. . ."

"Oh right, and the way you want me to pose isn't?" Heero rolled his eyes in return and flopped back on the bed, sprawling out lazily.

"It's just a drawing, Heero. . .you know, the sexier the better. . .remember, it's for your anniversary. . .might get some action out of it. . ." She winked. He frowned and sighed in exasperation, saying, "How do you want me?" She giggled and pounced onto the bed, crawling over to him. He looked at her warily as she sat next to him, fighting the obvious urge to laugh at his discomforted expression.

"Okay, now you were laying mostly on your back. . .and you had your arm over your head, like this. . ." She started moving him around like he was a doll and he finally said, "Do you mind? I think I can position myself. . ."

"I'm sure you can. . .but I'm the artist, I have to draw you! Your hair's too neat, here. . ." She wiggled her fingers through his hair, shaking it around as he complained. Finally, she was satisfied with the degree of disheveledness and sat back, admiring her ability to mess things up just right. She laughed and bounced off the bed, gathering her drawing pad and pencils before standing at the foot of the bed. She closed her eyes and began to levitate, floating up about 5 feet before crossing her legs and beginning to draw.

"Do you really think Relena's gonna like this?" Heero asked quietly, feeling a chilly breeze roll over his bare chest, the button down shirt he wore hanging open and laying at his sides across the covers.

"Yes, now don't move. . .you can only talk. . ." She said, sounding slightly commanding.

"Yes, Ma'am. . ." He said mockingly. As he lay in silence, the sounds of pencils etching across paper filled his mind, causing his mind to begin to wander to different things. He looked toward Rachel and watched her as she floated and drew at the same time. He began to recall the day she had disappeared and how Duo had almost gone suicidal until the poem, sending him into another frenzy of feelings forcing him to search for her.

__

I still don't know why she couldn't come back on her own, she had her powers when she came back. . .Heero pondered, blinking as he noticed she was staring at him more than needed to sketch a section of his body.

"What is it?" Rachel asked, cocking her head curiously, "You've got this look of deep thought on your face."

"I was thinking back to the time you 'died' and returned to your dimension. . .why didn't you just come back on your own if you still have your powers?" Heero asked.

"Oh. . .well, in my world I don't have powers, I'm just an ordinary girl. It's only when I sleep that my dreams bring my powers to life, and that's how I got here in the first place. Here I have anything I could ever want. . .it's like my dreams are real, I can make anything happen that I wish to come true."

"If you can have anything you want, why do you live in a condominium and pay rent?" With a blush, Rachel said, "Because I see my powers as a gift, not to be used to make my life better than everyone else's. Besides, I like the way I live. . .builds character and makes you really appreciate the little things you have."

"So you're happy with Duo not proposing to you?" Rachel paused, blinking and staring at Heero. Looking away, she said, "I can't force people to do things, if I do they don't respond well to it."

"Doesn't he love you? He's living with you but he won't commit to marriage. . .it's like he's keeping himself free in case things don't work out, holding onto that freedom. . .why would he do that if he was happy with being by you forever?"

"Heero, I really don't think it's your business-" Rachel began to grow angry and Heero said, "Than stop ignoring it and make it yours. . .Relena would agree with me if she was here."

"But she's not, and you're married, so what makes you so different than me? At least I know Duo's always there for me!" Rachel shot to him bitterly before blinking in surprise, looking down in embarrassment.

"I knew things would be this way the moment I proposed to her, I chose to live as a President's husband. . .that was my choice. I'm happy. . .are you?" She frowned and stared at him, saying, "Maybe. . .I should come back tomorrow and finish the drawing then. . ."

"Don't let your personal feelings get in the way of your work, Rachel. . ." Heero said.

"Then don't bring them up." Rachel said, almost in a growl, "Now don't talk, I'm drawing your face. . ."

__

If both of you avoid the subject, nothing's ever going to happen. . .you've been living with him for 2 years now. . .someone's gotta give. Heero thought to himself as he kept perfectly still.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters, Precious' mine. . My own. . .my Precious. . .oops, sorry, been watching too much Lord of the Rings, heh. . .

Chapter Two

__

I guess I really am on my own this evening. . .oh well, might as well get dinner started. Trowa thought to himself as he walked through the apartment after his daughter, who immediately flew into the living room.

"Homework, then TV." Trowa called to his daughter. She bounded back into the hallway and ran a circle around him as she said, "Okay, Daddy!" With a giggle, she ran over to her backpack to retrieve her schoolbooks, dashing up the stairs with her books in hand to begin her studies.

__

I sure am blessed, I don't have a kid that talks back! I guess most kids are like that till they turn into teenagers. . .let's see what I have to work with. . .Trowa thought as he made sure he heard his daughter in her room before he dropped his keys on the table by the door. With a yawn, he slowly strode over to the kitchen and went to the refrigerator, opening it to find barely anything worth eating inside.

"I guess no one's done the shopping this week. Now. . .do I want to go to the grocery store or just go out to eat and make Duo fend for himself? Duo'll kill me, better get this shopping over with." Trowa sighed, closing the door and turning back around. He began to walk toward the stairs to call his daughter when the phone rang. He paused and looked at the empty holder curiously.

"Alright, now where's the phone. . ." Trowa ran through the condo, picking up papers and moving cushions in his search, turning up nothing but the occasional dust bunny along the way. Finally, the ringing stopped and he paused in the middle of the living room.

"Oh well. . ." He muttered. Suddenly, he heard the pattering of his daughter's feet coming down the stairs, seeing her clumsily bound up to him with the phone cradled in her arms.

"It's no one." Precious said cheerfully, holding out the phone with a broad grin. With a puzzled expression, he took it and raised it to his ear, saying curiously, "Hello?"

"Hello, who is this?" Came a familiarly strong female voice.

"Trowa. . .is that you, Noin?" Trowa figured out his daughter's mispronunciation.

"Yes, are you visiting or something?"

"I suppose Rachel didn't tell you, we moved in with them about a month ago, my rent went up and I couldn't afford it anymore."

"Oh, and it was such a lovely place! You should have told me, I could have gotten you a job working for Milliardo!"

"Relena already offered a secretarial position, I declined."

"Too stuffy?"

"Something like that. I'd hate to sound rude but we haven't had dinner yet and we need to do shopping to actually get some food to eat."

"Oh yes, sorry. I was just calling to invite Rachel and Duo over to our apartment for dinner sometime but since you're living with them now too you're also invited."

"Is this a private thing, I wouldn't want to intrude just because I live here."

"Oh no, no intrusion, it's just a little dinner. We haven't talked in so long and they were next on our list to dine with! Are they home?"

"No, Rachel's out on business and I suppose Duo's working late or stuck in traffic, it's just me and Precious."

"I noticed a little girl answered the phone, she knew who I was too, she's a smart one. I'd say she takes after her father but. . ."

"Yeah. . .she just copies me a lot."

"I'm sure. Well, I won't hold you up, I'm sure you're starving. Have a good evening, Trowa."

"You too, I'll pass on the message. Bye." Trowa pressed the call button and looked down to his daughter who had been listening with eager eyes.

"Food?" She asked, her eyes big with anticipation.

"Yes, we're going now. Get your coat and shoes on and we'll go to the store." Trowa responded wearily, growing tired from the day's work. He slowly strolled down the hallway as his hyper little girl ran past him and grabbed her shoes, whipping them on even before Trowa could put the phone back and grab his keys. She bounced impatiently by the door and smiled happily as her father walked over and got his coat.

"Now remember to behave yourself, I don't want to be constantly watching you while I'm shopping so stay right by my side." Trowa said as he opened the door.

"Okay!" She said and bounded out into the hallway where she stopped and hopped up and down while she waited. With a sigh, Trowa shut the door behind him and walked down the hall toward the front door to get in his car. A few minutes and kiddy songs later, they arrived at the grocery store.

"I'll get a cat!" Precious chirped, running over to the rows of grocery carts by the entrance.

"Cart, Precious." Trowa said calmly, reaching over his daughter to get the cart out for her.

"Ooooh. . .okay, daddy." She responded with a smile. They made their way through the store, browsing the selection of food while they headed for the frozen food aisle. Trowa leaned on the bar of the cart as he looked over the TV dinners, Precious on her tippy toes trying to see into the freezer bin.

"You're not much of a cook, are you." Trowa looked up and blinked at the person who spoke suddenly to him, a little startled by the comment.

"I am but I don't feel like cooking. You're. . .Hope, right?" Trowa said. Precious smiled and waved as the young woman shyly smiled back.

"Yes, we met earlier." She said timidly.

"I know." Trowa said, looking back at the frozen entrees. Hope fidgeted with her basket as the awkward silence filled the air. Finally, she said, "Did you get stuck with the shopping duties tonight?"

"I suppose."

"Nobody's home." Precious added. Trowa gave her a look and she quickly shut her mouth.

"Oh, you two are alone tonight? So am I, since my father's out of town I don't have anyone to dine with and all this food waiting to be eaten. Would you like to come over to my place? I don't mean to be so forward, we don't even really know each other and-"

"Sure." Trowa interrupted. Hope looked surprised as she said, "O-okay! Are you still. . .shopping, because I can wait. . ."

"No, just came here for dinner."

"Alright. . .you can follow me then." She said, trying to smile as she turned to walk back to the entrance. As Trowa followed, Precious bounced along beside him, whispering, "Where are we going now, daddy?"

"We're going to eat with Hope tonight, the behavior rule still stands."

"Okay. . .does she have any friends for me to play with?"

"No, I don't think she has children, Precious. . .let's go put the cart back."

"SIGH Finally! I'm home!" Duo called out as he walked in the door of the apartment. Nothing but the sound of the empty house responded to him. "Guess everyone's out. . .oh well, got the place to myself then!" Duo shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack, walking lazily out into the living room where he dumped all his belongings before heading into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, moaning in dismay to the vast void inside.

"Man, I hate when we run out of food! Where's Trowa at, he's suppose to be here. He better not have gone out to eat without me!" He wandered back into the hallway and noticed the little backpack by the door.

__

Well, they were here. . .I guess I'll just go out and get some grub. Better call Rach first, see where she's at. He thought as he headed toward the stairs, barely stepping up when he spotted the phone in its place.

"I thought I left you upstairs. . ." Duo mumbled as he picked up the receiver to call his girlfriend.

"Hold on, my phone's ringing." Rachel said, sliding out of her seat in Heero's office.

"Not a problem; tell Duo I need to speak with him sometime." Heero responded as he began some paper work strewn across his desk.

"Huh?" She answered her cell and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, babe, I was wondering what you were up to. Seems Trowa's ditched me and left me with nothing but crumbs to scrounge. Wanna go out?" Duo's cheerful voice rang in her ear.

"Duo, hi. I was just finishing up some work here, I'll meet you over at Giodanni's in an hour, okay?"

"Sweet, see ya then, sweet cakes, ciao." She closed her cell and turned back to Heero who was casually browsing a letter.

"How'd you know-" Rachel began.

"I just did." Heero muttered, not even looking up. Rachel's face-hardened as she said in a lowered tone, "You know about our agreement, we decided only to use our powers for emergencies and otherwise impossible situations so others don't find out."

"And your little floatation earlier was an emergency?" Heero retorted.

"It was a hard situation. Do you know how difficult it would have been to haul a ladder up there and try to draw while balancing on the steps?"

"And the comment I made was no different, saved me time calling."

"That's completely different; a luxury not necessary."

"You call it what you wish. . .if we're finished here I have a lot of work to do manually before Relena gets back and I do believe you have a dinner date. Goodnight, Rachel." Heero responded snidely. With a frown, she muttered a farewell before leaving in a huff.

"Alrighty, Rachel should be here soon. . ." Duo said to himself as he walked up to the Italian restaurant, a broad grin on his face in anticipation of the scrumptious feast awaiting him. As he opened the front door, he heard a scream from across the street and quickly turned his head to the bank adjacent to him. A fire was leaping from the building and people scattered in all directions as a mysterious figure leapt out into the street with a bag in one hand and a machine gun in the other.

__

Woah, that's some heavy weaponry, that kinda stuff shouldn't be available to just anyone! Wait a minute. . .Duo's eyes widened as he focused on the thief, noticing his colorful disguise and half hidden face.

"What the-Trowa?" He gasped as the figure let off a few rounds of bullets to scare off the few people still around before slinging the weapon over his shoulder and doing a cartwheel to the next door building, jumping up and grabbing an awning covering the front door. He swung himself up onto it and did a flying leap up to a pipe running the full height of the structure. Reaching the top, the figure quickly disappeared on the roof as he escaped.

"Where's the police! The secret service, ANYBODY! Somebody has to stop him!" A woman shouted from the street, crying insanely as she stared at the last place he was seen.

__

I only know one person who does that kind of jumping. . .and he seems to have suddenly disappeared tonight. . .but why. . .why would he do this. . .Duo pondered in slight discomfort, feeling betrayed by his own friend. He quickly pulled out his cellphone and began to dial Trowa's number, hoping, for his sake, that he'd pick up. It just rang.

"Trowa, if you know what's good for you, you'll answer your freakin' phone!" Duo cursed under his breath as he hung up, turning to run to his car just as Rachel pulled up in hers. She stepped out and stared in surprise and shock of the burning building.

"Duo, what's going on!" Rachel asked over the roar of the blaze.

"We need to get this fire put out, the nearest fire station is miles away!" Duo shouted as he ran up to her.

"Than we have to do it, quickly while there's no one to catch us." Rachel said, turning to the fire. She raised her hand to it while Duo kept watch to make sure no one saw her. Suddenly, the flames crept back inside the building and the dull roar ceased. The fire was out. Rachel began to swoon and Duo caught her, easing her to the ground as he touched her cheek.

"Rachel? Rachel, wake up! Oh great, not again. . ." Duo picked her up and set her in her car, quickly jumping into his and using his powers to drive her car home with him as he headed back to their apartment.

"I've been calling his cellphone for hours, he's not picking up!" Duo said, his voice filled with the irritation and frustration he felt inside.

"Calm down, Duo. I'm sure it wasn't him; what reason would he have to rob the Sanc Kingdom United Bank?" Heero asked, feeling the strain of too much work to finish while he was delayed by the uprising.

"Well, I don't know! I mean, he's not doing so well financially, ya know! And it was his costume from the circus, even his mask! And hair!" Duo shouted.

"Lower your voice, you're giving me a headache." Heero groaned impatiently.

"Well I'm sorry but this guy's not the most unlikely of people to pull off something like this."

"If he really needed so much help, why would he have turned down Relena's offer for a better paying job?"

"I don't know, pride! Look, we have to find him before someone else does and he gets in a lot of trouble, more than he already is! Hey, I gotta go, Rachel's waking up." Duo quickly hung up the phone and walked over to Rachel's bed, kneeling beside it and taking Rachel's hand. She moaned and slowly looked over at him. With a half smile, he said, "Hey, sleeping beauty, what happened? I thought you were over your little swooning phase."

"I. . .I haven't used my powers to such a degree in a long time, maybe I just wasn't used to the surge of energy. . ." She slowly sat up and felt her head aching, quickly laying back down as she moaned.

"Just relax for now, okay? I'm gonna check around to see if anyone else has seen him recently."

"Seen who?" Rachel asked in confusion.

"Trowa, he robbed the bank and set it on fire."

"What? Are you kidding me, why would he-" She groaned again as a sharp pain hit her in the head.

"I don't have all the answers but I will soon, just stay here and rest, I'll be back." Duo stood and walked toward the door.

"Duo. . ." Rachel muttered.

"Yeah?" He glanced over his shoulder.

"Where's. . .Precious?" With a pause, Duo said solemnly, "I don't know but wherever she is, she could be in great danger."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or it's characters, not much else to say yet.

Chapter 3

"KITTY!" Precious bounded into Hope's apartment, racing up to a kitten sitting on her sofa. Half-scared by the outburst, the cat leapt off and ran for its life with Precious hot on its tail.

"Precious, this is not a playground, calm down." Trowa said. She immediately stopped and folded her hands behind her back, bowing her head shamefully.

"Oh, it's alright, she can play if she wants." Hope said, swiftly stepping in and kneeling next to Precious. She called out her kitten and pet her, whispering to Precious, "If you pet her and be gentle, she'll love you." As the little girl wandered off with the ball of entertaining fur, Hope stepped into the kitchen and said, "You can have a seat in the living room, I won't be long."

"You sure you don't need some help?" Trowa casually stood in the doorway and watched her busily take out various food items and pans.

"Oh, I'm fine, I've cooked enough dinners for my family and guests that I know how to juggle multiple items at once." She said with a wink, a stack of eggplants in one hand as she readied a pan with the other, shutting the open refrigerator door with her foot while she did.

"You're very organized, most girls I've dated couldn't get out their keys and hold something at the same time without dropping something." Trowa commented in an almost amused tone. Blushing, Hope said, "Well, my father always said I wasn't like most girls. . ." As she cooked, Trowa watched her and she finally noticed his studious eye, getting a little nervous. Finally, he said, "Are you a dancer?"

"I used to be, I took ballet and various other classes when I was younger but it didn't really suit me. . .how did you know?"

"Just the way you moved, very graceful." He said simply. With a giggle, Hope said, "Thank you, I guess. . .are you one yourself?"

"No, I'm an acrobat. I work in the local circus as part of the high flying and knife throwing acts; I'm their clown."

"Clown? You don't seem like the type who would dress up as a fool everyday for a living."

"Things aren't always what they seem. . ." Trowa said in a quieter voice. Hope paused and glanced at him, bowing her head back to her cooking as she said in almost a whisper, "No. . .they aren't." They heard a sudden screech from the living room and both adults ran in, finding Precious holding her hand and whimpering on the opposite side of the room from the kitten. Trowa ran over to her and knelt down, taking her hand and saying, "Precious, what happened?"

"The kitty bit me. . ." She sniffed, pointing to the innocent and confused looking kitten crouched on the sofa. Hope walked over to Precious and took a look at her hand before saying, "Oh, it's just a scratch. Here, I'll get you a Band-Aid and some medicine, okay, sweetie?" Precious nodded and sniffed and Hope hopped down the hall, quickly returning with the promised items. She quickly tended to the girl's injury and gave it a kiss, saying, "There, all better. Be careful with Princess, she gets riled up easily because she's so young and doesn't quite know the difference between play and petting. Do you want to play with some of my toys?" Completely forgetting the bite, Precious bounced and grinned, saying, "Yeah, yeah!"

"Okay, follow me!" She ran down the hall with Precious giggling behind her. Trowa stood slowly, a little surprised by Hope's motherly skills.

__

She must have spent a lot of time alone. . .maybe an older sibling? Trowa thought, trying to figure her out like he usually did with people he didn't know. She quickly returned and reentered the kitchen to tend to the food. Trowa took his place in the doorway again and watched her more, saying, "You're good with kids."

"Oh, it's nothing! I used to help at a daycare center in my father's building when the teacher was away, which was often. Dinner's ready, I'll get it on some plates and you can retrieve your daughter." Trowa quietly left and searched for his child, wandering up the stairs to the second floor of her apartment. He heard tinkering noises and found his daughter sitting on a wide window seat over looking the lake by the complex. Precious smiled up at her father briefly before returning to her playing. Looking out at the view, he said to the little girl, "Dinner's ready, come downstairs." She happily cheered and jumped at her father, wrapping her arms around his neck, saying, "I like it here! Can we live here now?" Trowa blinked and said, "No, we don't even know Hope. . .come on, get down." Precious let go and scampered downstairs, leaving Trowa to take one last lingering glance out the window. He arrived at the dinner table just in time as Hope came out with three plates balanced on one arm and silverware in her other hand. He quickly took it from her, saying, "Are you a waitress, too?"

"How'd you know? Oh. . .the balancing thing. . .yeah, I had a job with a diner for a couple years."

"You've done just about everything, haven't you." Trowa said in amusement, sitting the plates of delicious looking food on the table.

"Well, I'm always willing to try something at least once! I hope it's edible, I didn't have some ingredients I needed." They all sat down and began to eat, Trowa surprised by how good it actually was.

"It's great. . .let me guess, you were a cook too."

"Heh, nothing gets by you. . ." Hope blushed, shyly picking at her food for a second before taking a bite. Trowa smiled and everyone was quiet for the remainder of the meal. At the end of the meal, Trowa said goodbye and they left, walking slowly down the corridor to the elevator hand in hand.

"I like her, Daddy. . .she's nice." Precious chirped, swinging her arm to make his do the same.

"She is. . ." Trowa agreed.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you ask her to come to our home like all those other ladies?"

"That's different, Precious, it was a date."

"You can date Hope!"

"She's. . .not my type. . ." Trowa said, looking around as they walked out of the building and hit the cold air.

"What does that mean?"

"It's grown up talk."

"Oh. Well, I think she likes you!"

"You do, do you?"

"Yep, she smiled a lot. . ."

"I noticed. . ."

"And she was nice to me, all your lady friends weren't very nice. . ."

"I know. . .someone will someday."

"Hope is here now, what's wrong with her?" Trowa didn't respond as he thought to himself, _Nothing. . .that's the problem. . ._

"Heero. . ." Relena happily dropped her belongings and ran to her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck as he spun her around. They embraced in a quick yet deep kiss before she sighed and said, "It's good to be home. . ."

"It's good to have you home. How did your journey go?" Heero asked as he picked up her things and carried them into her office with her by his side. As Relena stepped into her office and turned on the light, she said in a tired tone, "It was fine, very long flight and I didn't get a wink of sleep with conference calls constantly and work to be done on my laptop. sigh And more work yet to be done here, I see. . ." Relena reached to pick up a paper from the tall stack on her desk and felt a hand rest on hers.

"You couldn't be of any good at this point, all work and no play make a politician very tired. . .we both need a break. . ." Heero pulled her gently over to him, wrapping his arm around her waist as he breathed in her scent, resting his face her neck. She moaned as the sensation of his breathing tickled her skin, feeling his fingers tracing up her spine that shivered beneath his touch.

"Heero. . ." Relena whimpered, feeling like melting in his arms.

"Let's go upstairs. . ." He whispered in her ear, slowly leading her backwards toward the open door. She tried to push away as she said, "I have so much work to finish, I can't just leave it. . ."

"The world won't sink to ruin, Relena. . .besides, aren't I at least second on your list of most important things?"

"Heero. . ."

"I know, I'm not being fair. . .but I haven't seen you in over two weeks. . .just. . .one night will make me happy, I'll help you with your work in the morning if you have so much to get done."

"But what about your own?"

"Long since done. . .I've been waiting the past hour for you to get home and believe me. . .I was excited to see you. . ." Heero cocked an eyebrow and she shivered, saying as she leaned against his shoulder, "I. . .I suppose one night won't make a big difference. . ."

"It will to me." Heero whispered with a smile, picking her up and carrying her the length of the stairs to their bedroom, quickly closing the door to continue with his plans in private.

Early the next morning, sometime around 5, Heero woke to the sound of a telephone ringing incessantly by the bed. With a moan he hugged Relena closer to his body as she also awoke.

"Don't answer it." Heero groaned. She snuggled into his arms and said, "Wasn't planning on it."

"Man, they haven't answered their phone all night, where are they? They better still be alive, for your sake!" Duo said angrily, turning to glare at Trowa who sat on the living room couch with his arms folded, looking sleep deprived like the others.

"Why won't you believe me? Look, I told you, it wasn't me, it was some woman who stole my costume yesterday before I went on at the circus." Trowa growled, rubbing his forehead slowly with his fingers.

"Then where were you last night, huh? Why won't you tell us that!" Duo began to raise his voice.

"Duo, please, Precious is asleep. . ." Trowa pleaded, feeling a migraine coming on. Duo cleared his throat and said, "You're lucky there's a little girl around, I'd curse you out otherwise!"

"Duo, perhaps he's telling the truth." Rachel said as she walked into the room with some cups of coffee. Trowa looked up at her and said, "Why would I lie to you? I don't have anywhere else to live and with Precious I couldn't live on the run, it wouldn't be fair to her."

"Then tell us where you were!" Duo demanded, close to raising his voice again. Trowa kept his mouth wired shut as he looked away from his questioner.

"Trowa, we're your friends, we just want to clear your name before. . .higher authorities decide to take action. Why can't you tell us where you were?" Rachel asked, concerned for her friend. He still wouldn't respond as a look crossed his face briefly that made Rachel wonder.

__

He never shows his true feelings in situations like this. . .something's really bothering him. . .alright, time to take some actions of my own. Rachel thought as she watched Trowa closely. She took Duo's arm and whispered, "Can you check on Precious? I don't want her to hear something and get the wrong idea. . ." Duo frowned for a second before sighing and stalking off toward the stairs. As soon as he disappeared, Rachel sat next to Trowa on the couch and said, "Trowa, what's going on, you seem. . .troubled by something."

"Can't you see your boyfriend bugging the heck out of me?" Trowa said, slouching back in his seat, staring blankly at the hallway.

"That's not what's bothering you. . .now is it. . ." Rachel touched his arm and he snapped his vision over to her.

"What are you talking about." He said, trying to deny anything else was wrong.

"It's just a simple question, we want to know where you were. It's not that big of a deal, is it?" Rachel asked, frowning in concern as she leaned toward him, his face turning away from her.

"I didn't do it, my word should be enough for you." Trowa said in aggravation. The phone suddenly rang and Rachel sighed, getting up to answer it.

"Hello?" Rachel said tiredly, glancing back at Trowa who wasn't paying attention.

"Oh Rachel, hello. Is Trowa there somewhere?"

__

Hope. . .Rachel thought, turning away from Trowa's view.

"He's indisposed at the moment, may I take a message?"

"Yes, he left his cell phone at my apartment last night, I was just wondering whether he'd like me to drop it off at your place or. . .he'd rather come and get it."

"Last night?" Rachel whispered.

"Oh, we bumped into each other at the grocery store and I invited him and his lovely little girl over for dinner. Well, I don't have much time to talk, I have to visit my father's work for him in a few minutes."

"I'll give him the message, I'm sure he can pick it up. Thank you for calling."

"No problem! Have a good morning."

"You too, good day." Rachel hung up the phone and raised her eyebrows briefly before putting on a poker face and turning back to Trowa. He glanced at her and said, "What?"

"Nothing, just a call for you. . ." Rachel said, slowly walking back over to him. He uneasily sat up straight and set his hands on the couch as he said, "Who. . .was it?"

"I think you know. . ." She said, lifting a brow as she fought the urge to smirk. Trowa looked nervous as he said, "No, I don't, tell me."

"It was Hope, she said you left your cell phone at her place last night. . ." She said, raising a hand and examining her nails casually.

"It's not what you think, honest." Trowa shot up suddenly. Rachel raised her eyebrows in surprise and said, "So you didn't just have dinner with her?"

"I. . ." He turned away and said, "Look, it's not a big deal, okay? Don't go telling everyone."

"Gosh, Trowa, you made such a big fuss over not saying and now you say it's no big deal? One might think it's a bigger deal than you let on. . ." Rachel folded her arms and stared at him expectantly.

"Just. . .let it go." Trowa started to walk away when Rachel said, "You know the others are going to insist on knowing of your whereabouts. . ."

"And who's going to tell them?" Trowa glared at her.

"I don't know why you're making such a big deal over this, it was just dinner. Unless. . .it meant more to you. . ."

"It was just dinner. . .nothing more. . ." Trowa said, walking toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Rachel walked after him.

"I need some fresh air." He said as he grabbed his coat. Rachel rested her hand on the door and stared at him, saying, "You can't just leave, people are probably going to recognize you and you're going to get in a heck of a lot of trouble!"

"You make it sound like I can't take care of myself, Rachel. I lived through a war just taking care of myself, I think I can handle some angry citizens." Trowa said, sounding insulted. He grabbed her arm and pulled it away from the door, reaching for the lock to open the door.

"Trowa, please. . ." Rachel begged. He quickly stepped out and closed the door, putting on his coat as he walked down the hallway thinking, _Why does everyone always want to know how I feel? Why can't they just leave me alone. . .this is all that stupid woman's fault, if I hadn't accepted her invitation. . .why did I? I have to set things straight; it was nothing, just dinner. I'll just go over to her place, get my phone, and say goodbye, forever. Then it'll be over, I won't see her again. . .it's for the best. . .right?_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or it's characters. Okay, so Trowa wouldn't really act like this in real life but hey. . .he's older now, maybe he changed. Having kids does strange things to you. . .

Chapter 4

"Noin, have you been watching the news lately?" Milliardo stepped into his girlfriend's room. Noin was sorting through some papers and stopped to look up at the tall blonde, saying, "No, why? Something interesting been going on?"

"Yes, actually, it seems a clown has been making a fool of the government, a rather familiar looking one at that." Milliardo said, walking over to her with a file in his hand, giving it to her. She took it curiously and pulled out a stack of pictures, looking them over.

"What are these?"

"Those are pictures taken by the surveillance cameras in the Sanc Kingdom United Bank when it was robbed by this perpetrator. Recognize him?"

"This. . .looks like. . ."

"Trowa Barton." Milliardo sounded reluctant to have said that. Noin looked up at him in concern and said, "It couldn't be, why would he. . ."

"They investigated the safe after the suspect broke in and found thousands of stocks missing, mainly in big companies doing very well in the stock market right now. Just this morning, all the missing stocks were sold off, quite a nice amount of money, over 50 million dollars. . ."

"But the question is, who would need so much money? I mean, the only logical reason to steal so much-"

"Was if you wanted to build something. . .or a lot of somethings." Noin stood and dropped the pictures on her desk, saying, "Milliardo, you don't think. . ."

"We need to get in contact with Relena and gather a meeting of the Sanc Council, and fast. Who knows when this figure will strike again."

"But if this person IS Trowa Barton, then shouldn't we be finding him?"

"Last thing I heard he was being held over at Duo's apartment under interrogation but that was over an hour ago."

"You call your sister, I'll drive over to Duo's and pick up Trowa."

"Meet back at the Sanc Capital when you're done." Noin ran out of the condo, barely grabbing her coat before she flew out the door. Milliardo went to the phone and began calling his sister.

"I think we need to answer the phone, it won't stop ringing." Relena moaned.

"But I pulled out the cord. . ." Heero complained, sitting up.

"Yeah, well I can still hear it down stairs." Relena got up and reconnected the phone, picking it up and saying, "Relena Peacecraft Yuy speaking."

"Relena, we have a problem. I need you to call a council meeting immediately."

"Council meeting, why? Milliardo, what's the matter?" Relena began to worry about what she had been missing in her moments of pleasure all night.

"Haven't you heard? The bank's been vandalized and millions of dollars worth of stocks have been stolen and sold off. Relena, I don't like the way this is adding up."

"I'll notify everyone right away. How could this have happened?"

"I don't know but we already have a suspect. . .if he's still around to talk."

"What? Who?"

"Trowa."

"What!" Relena gasped at the name, feeling her heart begin to race. Heero was standing by her side by now and was listening intently.

"Relena?" Heero frowned.

"I have to go, be here in an hour." Relena said, hanging up the phone. She turned to Heero and said, "Heero, how could this be happening? Everything was working out perfectly!" He pulled Relena into his arms as she felt flustered momentarily.

"Get a hold of yourself, Relena. Look, if we can end a war, we can surely keep one from starting again. You'd better gather the council; it's better to have many minds to work with than just your own worrying over this matter." Relena nodded and pushed away, running to her closest to pull out a suit to change into.

"What? A war! Oh my-alright, I'll be right there!" Quatre hung up his office phone and leapt to his feet, running to the door and heading down the hallway. He walked out into his backyard garden where his wife was tending to her flowers and said, "Sayla, I need to leave."

"So suddenly? But what about the garden party tonight?" Sayla turned to Quatre, her full belly turning with her.

"You'll have to have it without me, darling. I'm sorry, I know you've been looking forward to it. . ."

"Duty calls. . ." Sayla smiled vaguely, trying to be an understanding representative's wife. Quatre leaned forward and kissed her, resting his hand on her round stomach momentarily.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Goodbye, my lovelies." He turned and ran back inside to prepare for his departure.

"I'll be there right away, goodbye." Chang hung up his phone and turned to his secretary as he gathered his jacket, saying, "Stacy, call my wife and tell her I'm leaving on a diplomatic assignment and will be back some unknown date."

"Sir, you have a meeting with the Chinese government tomorrow, and dinner with your wife tonight, it's your anniversary!" the young woman said, a palmpad in hand as she looked over his schedule.

"Well reschedule it, I have more important things to deal with! I'm sure Asuka will understand." Chang said in his usual grumpy tone as he walked toward the door.

"Just like the last three anniversaries, sir?" Stacy commented.

"I have a job, she knew it'd be like this from the beginning. Send her some flowers, she'll understand." Chang said just before stepping out.

"sigh But I'm the one always getting yelled at when you do this. . ." Stacy muttered to herself in dismay, returning to her desk to begin on the floral order.

"Meeting? What? Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can!" Duo dashed down the hallway and down the stairs, shouting as he did, "Rachel, there's a council meeting, we gotta-hey, where'd Trowa go!"

"He needed some air." Rachel said, looking upset.

"What! No, we have to find him, this is all his fault after all!" Duo started toward the door to go after him.

"Duo, it wasn't him, he was framed!" Rachel shouted after him, groaning as she ran after her boyfriend, grumbling all the way, "Why don't you ever wait for a full explanation?"

"Rachel, Duo, are you home? It's me, Noin. Hello?" Noin knocked on the door, getting impatient and worried. Finally, she heard the lock undo and the door slowly opened. To her surprise, a sleepy little girl greeted her.

"Nobody's home. . ." Precious said, rubbing her eyes.

"They left you home alone? Do you know where they are?"

"No. . .I was asleep."

__

I can't leave her here by herself, she's too young. . .better bring her along. . .Noin thought as she figured out what she'd do next.

"You're gonna come with me, sweetie, okay? We're going to find your daddy and the others." Noin said, putting out her hand. Precious took it and mumbled an okay as Noin closed the door behind her and led her down the hall.

__

She's not home. . .but she just called Rachel, where could she have gone? Great, I came all the way over here for nothing. . .Trowa thought after knocking on Hope's door several times, kicking it in frustration. He turned to go when he heard the elevator at the end of the hall ding and the doors opened. Out stepped Hope, who paused in surprise.

"Trowa!" Hope exclaimed.

"Hi. . .I, uh. . ." Trowa stumbled over words to say as he looked back at her door.

"Oh, you're here for your cell phone, right?" Hope let out a sigh and walked up to the door, pulling out her keys to get inside.

"Yeah, Rachel said you called. . ." Trowa mumbled, waiting as Hope stepped inside and retrieved the phone, bringing it back out and saying as she handed it to him, "I guess she didn't tell you I was going out right after I called, I had some business to take care of at my dad's work. I hope you weren't waiting long. . ."

"No. . ." Trowa took his belonging and looked at it. An awkward silence filled the air as they both said nothing.

"Is there. . .anything else?" Hope asked finally. Trowa looked up and said, "Well. . ."

__

Why do I feel so uncomfortable? I'm acting like some teenage boy with a crush! A. . .crush? I. . .do I?

"Yes?" Hope cocked her head to the side. Trowa snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Um, I just. . .wanted to thank you again. . .for last night. Dinner, I mean. . .it was great."

"Oh. . .well, you're welcome, it was my pleasure."

"I. . .guess I'll be going, bye. . ." Trowa said, turning to go.

"Wait, I have something for your daughter!" Trowa blinked in surprise as Hope ran back inside, coming back shortly with something in her hand. Trowa reached out and let her drop the item in his palm, looking closely at the elegant bracelet she had given him.

"What's this for? It's. . .beautiful." Trowa said, admiring the shimmering white and blue beads with charms in between them.

"She loved it so much I thought she'd give it a better home than I could."

"You. . .didn't have to. . ."

"Oh no, it's a gift! Unless. . .you'd rather me not give it to her. . ." Trowa looked up at the young woman and said, "You're. . .very kind. . ." Hope blushed and said, "Well, it's nothing really. . ." Trowa blinked and felt his stomach begin knotting up when his phone rang. It startled him and he looked at it as if it had bit him before answering it.

"Hello?" Trowa said, his voice almost cracking.

"Where are you? We've been looking everywhere for you, Relena's called a Council meeting and it's not optional. Whatever you're doing stop it and get over to the Sanc Capital, A.S.A.P." Duo commanded over the phone.

"Duo, I. . ." Trowa glanced at Hope who looked curious as to his mood change.

"You what? No buts, get over there!"

"But what about Precious, where is she?"

"Oh crud. . .uh, she's at home."

"You left her alone? Duo-" Trowa nearly lost his cool, not that he had much of it at the moment anyway.

"Hey, if I didn't have to run out and find you cause you're a wanted man and decided to 'get some air' just as the world was crumbling into another war then I might have remembered to get someone to stay with her or something!"

"What are you talking about? War? But how could-" He stopped as he felt Hope's eyes staring at him intently. He looked at her and saw the wonder in her eyes mixed with a bit of mild fear from his discussion with Duo. Trowa grit his teeth as he heard Duo say, "Could what? Trowa?"

"Yeah, I'll be there, bye." Trowa said before snapping the phone shut. He turned away and began to walk toward the elevator when Hope leapt after him, calling out, "Trowa, wait!"

"What?" Trowa didn't face her.

"I. . .just wanted to wish you luck." He turned back to look at her curiously, saying, "Why?"

"It's just what people do. . .you seem upset about something so I was wishing you luck. . ."

"Thanks. . .um, Hope. . ."

"Yes?"

"I'm. . .sorry. . ." Trowa muttered, quickly turning and running off down the hallway.

"Sorry for what? Trowa?" Hope called out after him but he disappeared into the elevator.

__

Sorry for never giving you a chance. . .even when you more than deserve it. . .

"Ah, Quatre's here. Now we only have Noin and Trowa to wait for. . ." Relena said, seeing her Arab friend walking in. She greeted him with a hug and he said, "Relena, how have you been? I only wish our meeting was on friendlier terms so we could enjoy this time together."

"I'm well, despite current events. How is your wife doing? She's coming along in her pregnancy quite well I hear."

"Yes, nearly her due date. . .the doctors say she should take it easy, seeing the genetic imperfections that run in my family. . .it worries me sometimes." Relena patted his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Where is that baka Barton, he started this whole ordeal and he doesn't have the guts to face the consequences!" Chang complained like usual, his arms folded and a stern glare on his face.

"Look, it wasn't him, alright? Just relax, he'll explain it to you." Rachel defended her friend. Chang merely grunted a response and turned away to stare at the door expectantly.

"Why did he run off? Doesn't he know what's going on?" Milliardo whispered to Rachel.

"I don't think he does. . .he knows about the robbery but not the brewing war." Rachel replied.

"Some parent he is. . ." Everyone looked to the door and saw Noin walk in with Precious in her arms sleeping on her shoulder.

"That. . .would be our fault. . ." Duo said, looking deeply concerned about the whole situation.

"No, it's mine. . ." Trowa walked in behind Noin, feeling heated eyes staring at him from everywhere in the room.

"Daddy?" Precious muttered, raising her head at the sound of Trowa's voice. She stretched her arms out to him and he took her, hugging her as she wrapped her little arms around his neck and cooed happily. A troubled expression on his face made everyone curious.

"Well, now that everyone's here, shall we begin?" Relena sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters. I do own Hope and Precious so. . .yeah, don't steal them! OO And don't kill me for what I did to Duo's hair. . .it was his idea, not mine! .

Chapter 5

Everyone took a seat and Relena cleared her throat, saying, "I call this meeting of the Sanc Council to order, Milliardo, would you share the updates on the situation with the members?" Milliardo nodded and pulled out some files, saying, "Everyone knows about the attack on the bank, correct?" They all nodded and murmured their agreements. He continued, "Over 10 million dollars worth of stocks were stolen and later sold in the market, presumably by the thief or whoever he's working for."

"Who would need that kind of money?" Quatre asked concernedly.

"Sounds like the work of a Treize wannabe to me." Duo commented.

"Duo, has your salvage company had any orders for large amounts of metal or any other material?" Heero asked.

"No, nothing bigger than the usual amounts used for construction, but I'll keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary." Duo replied.

"My question is, why does everyone think Trowa did it? Hasn't he been with Duo and Rachel?" Quatre asked, glancing at his friend.

"He was missing during the attack, no one knew where he was." Milliardo answered.

"I was there when it happened, the guy was dressed in Trowa's clown costume, even had his mask and hairstyle. If it wasn't him than it was a darn good look a like. He had a machine gun for crying out loud, the kind of weapon Trowa's used to using. And you should have seen him with all that acrobatic junk he pulled off to get to the rooftops!" Duo exclaimed.

"Well Trowa, what do you have to say in defense?" Relena asked, hoping he had some sort of answer. Trowa didn't even look up from his lap.

"Trowa. . .tell them. . ." Rachel hissed. He glanced at her and her eyes widened at what she saw there in his stare.

"I have nothing to say. . ." Trowa said.

"So you admit it was you?" Chang said, rising from his chair and planting his hands on the table, "Baka, I had to miss ANOTHER anniversary with Asuka because of you!"

"Chang. . .why didn't you say something?" Relena said, feeling sorry for the angry man.

"I don't complain about my duties, it comes with the job."

"No, it comes with the Chang. . ." Duo said, leaning his cheek against his hand as he set his elbow on the table.

"What was that, you braided fool?" Chang glared at Duo.

"Hey, if you didn't notice, my hair's not braided at the moment. . ." Duo rolled his eyes.

"And he cut his hair, which is a big step for him." Rachel pointed out Duo's waist length locks.

"Off the subject!"

"Well, you'd know about that, now wouldn't you?" Duo cocked an eyebrow.

"May we please stay to the subject of the meeting please? I'm sure everyone has things to do and would rather not be here. Now. . .why do you refuse to talk to us, Trowa?" Relena said, regaining the control as Chang sat back down, still ticked of course. Trowa glanced at her then at Rachel who stared back expectantly.

"I. . .just don't want to talk about it. . ."

"Daddy, you're poking me." Precious groaned, leaning back and patting his chest.

"Eh?" Duo raised his eyebrows, "Trowa, were you getting some. . .piercings? Man, didn't think the show was that dull."

"No! It's just-" Trowa responded indignantly. Precious reached into his pocket and pulled out the jewelry Hope gave him, letting out a squeal of delight.

"YAY!" Precious exclaimed, quickly putting it on and staring at it as she leaned on her dad.

"A bracelet. . ." Trowa finished with a sigh.

"Awe, did you buy it for her?" Quatre asked, looking at the bracelet.

"It's from Hope!" Precious chirped, grinning happily.

"Who's Hope?" Milliardo asked curiously.

"My daddy's friend, we had dinner with her and she said I could have it!" Precious replied.

"Oh really. . ." Chang raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, last night."

"That's enough, Precious." Trowa said sternly. She shut her mouth and buried her face in his jacket, pulling her decorated wrist in and looking at it closer.

"So that's where you were? Why didn't you just tell us?" Noin said.

"It doesn't matter, he was at her apartment and she can vouch for it if it comes to that." Rachel said, trying to defend Trowa who didn't look like he wanted to share.

"But that still doesn't explain the costume and identical twin. . ." Duo commented, a little interested by the dinner date information still.

"My costume was stolen before I went on stage, I told you this already, Duo." Trowa grumbled.

"Tell us how it happened." Heero said in his usual emotionless manner.

"I. . .was late and in a hurry and my dressing room door was locked so I went outside and crawled under the tent. I ran into a woman with. . .long legs. . ."

"Eh? And this was the first thing you noticed?" Duo seemed amused.

"Well, I wasn't looking up until I bumped into her and it's kinda the first thing from the ground up."

"You didn't notice her feet?"

"Duo!" Rachel glared at him.

"Fine! Spoil my fun. . .grumblegrumble" Duo sulked.

"Go on." Rachel said with a sigh. With a sigh, Trowa continued, "I didn't get a look at her face but she had shoulder length chestnut brown hair and she knew how to disappear quickly."

"So. . .was she the one in the costume?" Noin suggested.

"No way, that wasn't a girl!" Duo complained.

"How could you tell, this is Trowa's clown costume with the balloony pants we're talking about."

"But. . .she didn't have a chest. . .well, you know what I mean. . ." Duo insisted further.

"If she's a gymnast, she's not going to be very well developed, training your whole life cuts off the 'growing' process for girls. Ever watched the Olympics?"

"No. . ." Duo muttered, turning away childishly.

"So we're looking for a brown haired, leggy, flat chested women climbing tall buildings in a single bound? This shouldn't take long. . ." Chang said, dripping with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure didn't get a good look at her face? Anything?" Milliardo asked Trowa. He nodded and looked away, looking deeply stressed.

"There's nothing further most of us can do about this except keep your ears open and your eyes sharp for anything that might shed light on the situation. If there are no further arguments, I will dismiss the council." Relena said. No one spoke up as she said, "Seeing none, this council meeting is adjourned. Chang, Quatre, return home. If we need your assistance we'll be in contact with you."

"Thank you, Relena. . .I was worried about leaving my wife alone for too long, especially with a garden party tonight at our home." Quatre said gratefully.

"Hey, how is Mrs. Winner? She's been blimping for a while, hasn't she?" Duo butted in with a grin. Rachel smacked him on the arm as she walked up and he protested with a yelp, rubbing the sore spot as he whined, "Oooow. . .what did I do!" While the group talked amongst themselves, Trowa managed to slip out into the hallway, carrying Precious on his hip as she sleepily mumbled to him.

"Daddy, do I have to go to school today?" She asked half-heartedly.

"Yes, same as yesterday and the day before and the day before." He replied mildly.

"When can I stay home?"

"Tomorrow, on Saturday. Speaking of which, since I'm off work, would you like to do something together?"

"Yeah. . ." She said in a lazy happiness. Trowa smiled and said, "It's your turn to choose. . ."

"Nah uh, I said last time."

"Nah uh. . ." Trowa returned the childish retort.

"Ya huh! Remember, we went to the car show?"

"Oh yeah. . .still a surprise to me, why you like cars so much. . ."

"They're pretty!"

"Liiiike. . .you?" Trowa tickled her and she giggled, unleashing a little squeal as she batted his hand away.

"What ever happened to the stiff I used to know?" Trowa turned and stared at his friend Quatre.

"Quatre. . ." Trowa smiled and looked down at Precious, "I dunno. . .getting older might be part of it. . ." Quatre laughed and said, "Yeah, I know the feeling. . .sure, I'm only 20 but I feel-"

"42?" Trowa finished with a similar weary smile that adorned Quatre's face as well.

"Yes. . .we've been through a lot in the past years. . .I don't know how you've remained so strong though. I've cracked so many times I thought I'd have a permanent seam running down my skull!"

"I admire your strength, Quatre. I never knew my parents and to deal with their deaths. . .well, that would have changed me forever. But you. . .your mother died when you were young and your father was assassinated last year. . .how do you stay sane?" Trowa looked sincerely concerned. Quatre's smile faded and he turned away, saying in a quieter voice, "It hasn't been easy. I would have run out and hunted down that murderer myself if I hadn't had Sayla by my side guiding me through it. She's like a ray of hope in my life. . .I don't know what I'd do without her."

"Hope. . .that's what I need. . ." Trowa muttered.

"Hmm? Trowa? Where are you going?" Quatre turned back as Trowa began to walk toward the door.

"I've got a kid to get to school. I'll. . .talk to you later?" Trowa said, glancing back at the last comment.

"Yes. . .we have a lot to catch up on. . .my friend. . ." Quatre smiled fondly, getting a softer return before Trowa left.

"Hello, you've reached the home of Hope Tischner! I'm sorry but I'm most likely off doing a million things at once so you'll have to leave a message. AH, MY DINNER! beep"

__

That's. . .an interesting message. . .Trowa thought as he nervously cleared his throat.

"Hello, it's, uh, Trowa. I was wondering if. . .you were busy tomorrow. I was called in to work and I promised my daughter I'd do something with her but now. . .well, I thought since she liked you so much that. . .maybe the two of you could spend some time together. . .until I get off work. There's a fair down at the Ibis Park and. . .I'm sure she'd love it. But that's only if you want to, I'm only asking. . .I mean, I'm not asking you to baby-sit or anything, I. . .um. . .just thought maybe you'd. . .like to. Well, goodbye. OH! My number is. . .wait, you probably have my number, it's the same as Rachel's. . .um, I uh. . .I'll just give you my cell phone number in case I'm not home. It's 555-9214. Bye." Trowa quickly hung up the phone and let out a sigh, thinking, _You idiot, that was the lamest and LONGEST message in the world! She's not going to just call up and say "Oh, I'd LOVE to watch your daughter all afternoon, of COOOUUURSSSEE!" Geez. . .I don't even know this lady, why am I bothering her? Maybe I should call up and say nevermind. . .but then she'll think I don't trust her, that I had second thoughts. Well, I guess this qualifies as second thoughts. . .and for all I know she could be the woman vandalizing the city. . .but. . .what else can I do? I'll just have to trust her. . .after all, if she does try anything I have powers to stop her. . .wait a minute, why haven't I thought of that before!_ Trowa leapt on the phone again and began dialing just as the door opened. He paused and looked up into the face of his fellow tenants, hanging up the phone and saying, "Hey, I got an idea!"

"Woah there, we barely got in the door! What's with you, you're acting kinda weird. . .is it that time of month?" Duo mockingly teased.

"What?" Trowa cocked his eyebrows.

"Duo!" Rachel bopped him on the head and stepped past him into the apartment.

"OW! Why do you keep hitting me!" Duo whined.

"Why is it that every time your mouth opens, some retarded comment comes flying out?" Rachel retorted.

"Not always!" Duo replied obnoxiously. Rachel rolled her eyes and turned to Trowa, saying, "You were saying?"

"This woman, we don't know what she looks like other than. . .well, her legs." Trowa said.

"Yeah. . ."

"What if we just used our powers to find my costume or something, I mean, we haven't used our powers in over 3 years, doesn't this qualify as an emergency?"

"Not necessarily, we shouldn't jump too soon before we see the big picture. . .be patient, she'll appear again and we'll be ready for her then."

"Big picture? What do you mean? She stole lots of money and is somewhere rolling around in it in glee, I'm with Trowa on this one!"

"She does have a point, I guess. . .if this is more serious than it seems, we should wait it out and see what happens. Perhaps if we just found out who this woman is and followed her. . .we could find out who she works for."

"We're working on that, or at least Milliardo and Noin are."

"Oh, that reminds me, they invited us to dinner sometime. . ."

"Really? I have been meaning to visit them. . ."

"They called yesterday but. . .I never really had time to tell you." He glared at Duo and the distraught man said, "WHAT! That's it, I'm just gonna go take a long shower and hide in my room where I won't get in anyone's way. . ."

"You have work, honey. . ."

"Not if I kill myself!" Duo exclaimed, stalking up the stairs as he cursed under his breath.

"Watch your language!"

"Fine, I'll curse in GERMAN!" Duo shouted, beginning into a slew of perplexing sentences.

"Ugh, that's not what I meant. . .stupid baka." Rachel slapped her forehead and moaned, shaking her head in disgust.

"You know, not many people consider 'baka' to be a pet name. . .yet you call him that more often than 'honey' or 'sweetie'. . ." Trowa commented. Rachel glared at him and muttered, "Don't you start with me. . .oh, my head. . ." She staggered into the living room and flopped onto the couch, sighing as she rubbed her temples. Trowa walked over to her, kneeling next to her and saying, "Here, let me." He gently began massaging her temples and forehead, easing her headache away with comfort.

"Mmm. . ." Rachel moaned happily, her face relaxing into a content expression.

"I can rub your back too. . ." Trowa offered. She looked over at him and said, "Why are you being so nice? Alright, what do you want. . ."

"Nothing, you just look really stressed. . .and besides, your boyfriend's not around to relax you."

"Ha, all he does is aggravate me. . ." Rachel said as she sat up. Trowa sat behind her and swept her hair aside, beginning to rub her tense muscles to loosen her up. As he worked at the knots in her back, he said, "Then why stay with him if all he does is bring you misery?"

"All men are aggravating, so whether it's him or somebody else I'll have the same problem. . ." Rachel mumbled.

"Do you really think all men are like him?"

"No, just aggravating, in their own ways of course. Duo has his good points too, you know. He's sweet and loves me, even if he is ignorant from time to time. His kindness more than makes up for all the things he gets wrong."

"But he's so. . .helpless. I don't know how he survived on his own for so long. He can't cook, he can't do laundry, he can't clean, the only thing he is good at is fixing things. . ."

"You just described about half the male population. . .if you hadn't noticed, he used to be able to do it but he has me around now to do it for him. All men become helpless fools when they have a woman, it always happens that way."

"I guess that's why I'm still self efficient. . .but I always have been, even when I had Catherine around to be like a sister to me. . ."

"I think that was more of survival instincts. I'm sorry, Trowa, but. . ."

"She can't cook, I know. . .but still. . .I live with you but I still know how to live and do things, I didn't turn into a mindless ape."

"Because you're a father, you have someone to mentor, to teach how to do things. Duo's still a bachelor, so to speak, and doesn't have to be anyone's mentor."

"Makes it sound like I've been deprived of the right to be a bum. . .I've thrown away all the fun in my life and become a. . .mother. . ."

"No. . .a parent, Trowa. I know it's hard to raise a child on your own, but that's why you have all of us; you have friends and family to help you take care of her."

"I appreciate it but. . .it's just not. . .the same. . ."

"I know. . .but it's going to take longer to find a wife when you dump every girl you date. . .for the stupidest reasons too. I mean, I don't understand what was wrong with half the women you went out with!"

"I don't think you could understand. . .no one can." Trowa muttered. Rachel turned to face him and said, "Trowa, you have to let someone in. . .we can't understand you if you don't let us. . ."

"I can't. . .I'm sorry. . .it's not that I don't trust you. . ." Trowa looked away in shame. Rachel pulled his face back with her hand and said, smiling kindly, "It's okay. . .you'll find someone you can talk to. . .someday. . ." She pulled him into her arms and hugged him, slowly being hugged back as Trowa rested his head on her shoulder.

"How long do I have to wait. . .I feel weaker the longer I go on alone. . ." Trowa whispered.

"They say the moment you stop looking for something is the moment you find it. . .true love isn't any different. . .be strong for just a littler longer. You always have us to talk to if you have any questions, or just need someone to talk to. . .for whatever reason. . ."

"Duo's a very lucky fool. . ."

"How so?"

"He got to you before anyone else could. . .you're. . .unparalleled."

"In what?" Trowa leaned back and said softly, "Being you. . ." With a blush, she said, "Trowa. . ."

"RACHEEEEL! Where's my hair tie! I can't go to work with my hair like this, the guy's will laugh at me!" Duo yelled from upstairs. With a sigh, Rachel stood and said, "Sorry, I have to go point to Duo's 'missing' hair tie. . ."

"It's alright, I need to get ready for work too." As they walked down the hallway, Trowa caught her arm and stopped her, saying, "Thank you for listening. . ." Gently, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked up the stairs ahead of her. She touched her cheek and thought in embarrassment, _Listening? I was doing most of the talking! I wish I could understand him. . .but it doesn't seem like it'll ever happen. . ._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"What. . .the. . .ASUKA!" Chang ran through the bullet riddled hallways of his home, searching everywhere for signs of life. Bodies of housekeepers and various unknown people lay in many of the rooms and in the hall, all silent tales of what Hell brought loose in the building. His heart pounding, Chang pushed himself to run faster as he made for Asuka's office. He came to a sudden stop in the doorway of his wife's office, exclaiming, "ASUKA!" The room was a disaster, papers scattered everywhere, furniture ripped to shreds by bladed weapons and bullets, blood staining the fine blue wallpaper. Panting for air, his focus centered on the form sitting in the middle of the ruin, transfixed on a parchment in her hands. He ran over to her and grabbed her shoulders, saying, "Stacy, what happened! Where's my wife!" Her eyes snapped up to him and she said with tear-filled eyes, "M-Mr. Wufei. . .they. . .they came in and. . .so loud, bullets everywhere. . ."

"Get a hold of yourself, woman! What happened to Asuka! Tell me!" Chang demanded desperately.

"She fought them off but they. . .they shot her! They took her, Mr. Wufei! She's gone!" Stacy began to sob fearfully, shaking as she touched her hand to her lips.

"Who took her? What did they look like?" Stacy looked down at the paper she was still clutching and Chang snatched it from her hand, reading it over. His eyes widened by the sentence, letting a gasped no breach his clenched teeth as the last words stuck in his mind.

Treize lives. . .

"Have a good day, Trowa. . ." Rachel said goodbye to her friend.

"You too." Trowa responded quietly, stepping out and closing the door. Rachel sighed and walked out into the living room, wandering to the sliding glass doors leading to their second floor balcony and staring out at the city in the distance. She slid the door open and stepped out, feeling a cool breeze rush up to greet her and play through her hair. Slowly, she leaned against the railing round the overhang and gazed off in deep thought, vaguely watching a flock of birds fly past. A soft thump disturbed her and she quickly turned, staring into the face of a man dressed head to toe in black apparel. He swiftly stepped up to her, grabbing her arms and pinning her against the railing. Her eyes widened as the instinct to scream evaded her, his piercing green eyes sucking the voice out of her.

__

So. . .dark. . .there's such a void in his eyes. . .Rachel thought as her knees lightly shook. Suddenly, a weak feeling swept through her body and she felt her whole form begin to give beneath her.

"Who. . .are. . ." Rachel whispered, unable to finish as her vision hazed over and she passed out.

"Rachel, I'm heading out! Rachel?" Duo walked into the living room and looked around, finding himself alone. He walked over to the open sliding door and stared out at the empty balcony, saying to himself, "Where'd she go?"

"Maxwell, you're late! Where have you been?" Hilde exclaimed, her arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping expectantly. Duo headed for the check in desk as he said, "Sorry, my girlfriend disappeared this morning without saying where she was going. I was a little worried. . ."

"What, think she's cheating on you? Don't blame her if she is, you're lazy and you let your paperwork pile up so high it takes over the desk to the point I don't know if one exists anymore!"

"Okay, I get your point, I won't be late again. . ." Duo said, mumbling, ". . .this week."

"I heard that! If we weren't partners in this business, I'd fire you! Now, are you going to sort out those orders or am I gonna have to do them myself!"

"I'm moving, alright! Geez!" Duo complained, quickly walking to his office and entering, shutting the door behind him. He plopped down in his chair and let out a sigh, looking at the small stack on his desk.

"So much she couldn't see the desk, pftt, I could sort this in ten minutes. . ." Duo mocked, beginning to look through and approve the papers. He finished exactly 10 minutes later and got up, strolling over to his door with the finished work and stepping out just as a man ran into him. His papers went flying in the air and he groaned, catching the ones still floating down.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Duo!" The man apologized, stooping to help pick up the mess.

"No problem, José. So what's the big hurry?" Duo said with a sigh.

"I gotta run in to see if anyone else is free for the big job, I can't believe they want this all today! It's insane!" José exclaimed, handing Duo a stack of the papers.

"Big job?" Duo queried as he settled the papers.

"Yeah, 73000 metric tons of Titanium Alloy! I don't know if there's that much out there but we're scrounging all we can! They're paying us 5 million for it, just for all the overtime work. This is great but it's a pain to do with so much of staff out today of all days."

"Do you still have the order form for this?" Duo asked as he stood.

"Yeah, it should be in the main office, filed under 'M' for Mariemaia." José said before walking away to find more workers. Duo frowned and headed for the main office. He walked in and smiled to the secretary who was busily talking on the phone.

"Danielle, how are-" Duo leaned against her desk. She raised her finger to him and gave him a look, pointing to the phone. He rolled his eyes and waited as she said, "I'll have to call you back, Laurel, bye. Whatcha want, boss?"

"Could you get me the file for 'Mariemaia', I need to look over the order to check something. Oh, and file these." Duo said, plopping the pile of papers down. Danielle rolled over to the filing wall and pulled out the drawer marked "M". Fingering through, she finally pulled out a file and said, "Here ya go, I hear this one's gonna make us rich and do wonders for business."

"Yeah, so I've heard. . ." Duo muttered as he opened the folder and looked the order over. At the bottom, he noticed his signature on the approval line and frowned.

"Something wrong?" Danielle looked concerned by his expression.

"I forgot, when did this come in?" Duo asked.

"Well I don't know. . .I assume today. . .why?"

"Nothing. . .thanks. Mind if I keep this for a bit? I'll bring them back, don't worry. . ." Duo winked. She rolled her eyes and said, "Just go, I have work to do and your flirting is cutting into my time."

"No prob, babe. . .later." Duo saluted with the file and strolled out, his face sinking into a dead serious frown the second he was out the door.

__

I have to get this to Relena and the others as soon as possible. . .Rachel might know about this Mariemaia but I don't know where she went to. . .I guess I'll give her a call later.

"Relena." Heero stood in her office doorway, a solemner than usual look on his face. She looked up and said, "Yes, Heero? What is it?"

"Chang just called me. . .Asuka's been kidnapped."

"What? How, when!" Relena stood straight up, looking supremely startled by this news.

"Apparently it happened just today, he says the bodies are still warm. . ."

"Why is all of this happening, of all times when it really looked like peace was real for everyone. . ."

"Some people live to battle, they can't stand the silence. Relena, we need to take some action before anyone else disappears. . ." They heard a coded knock at the door and Relena said, "What's Duo doing here?" Pagan let him in and they all met up in the hallway.

"Duo, what is it?" Relena asked, noting the stern look on his face.

"You said to keep an eye out for anything strange. . .is this close enough?" Duo handed her the file with the order inside. She looked the paper over, a growing concern showing on her face.

"Why did you sign it? This is obviously from who we're looking for." Relena said, looking up.

"I didn't, someone forged my signature. . .did a darn good job too, it's exactly like mine."

"And that's no easy feat to do, your handwriting's horrid. . ." Heero glanced at Duo.

"This is no time to joke, Heero. . .hey, has Rachel stopped by or called you guys?"

"No, we haven't seen her since the meeting this morning. Why?"

"Well, she was in the apartment when I went upstairs to get ready for work. I wasn't gone but maybe 5 minutes when I came down and found the place empty. The balcony door was open though. . .that was a little odd. But if she was kidnapped she would have stopped them or screamed, done something to warn me." Duo looked worried.

"I think we really need to take this a step further, I'm calling Milliardo." Heero said, walking back to his office. Relena and Duo were about to follow when they heard another knock at the door.

"I'll get it, you go ahead and do whatever you need to." Duo said. Relena nodded and walked back to her husband's office to join his conversation with Milliardo. Duo walked over and opened the heavy oak door, staring out at a man dressed in a brown shirt and shorts, the initials "U.P.S." embroidered on his shirt sleeve and pocket. He looked a little awkward, holding a large package and signature board.

"Package for Mrs. Peacecraft Yu-AH!" The box began to slip out of his hand and he frantically grabbed at it, managing to send the board flying and ending up hunched over, his arms wrapped around the box. Duo cocked his eyebrow and said, "Yuy?"

"Uh yeah. . ." the man sighed. Duo motioned for him to bring it in and he did, tripping over the carpet as he walked toward a table to set the package down. Duo caught the box and the man sprawled out over the floor.

"Man. . .hey wait, do I know you? You seem. . .strangely familiar. . .like we've bumped into each other once. . ." Duo said, watching him stand up and dust himself off.

"Well, with my luck I probably did bump into you. . .literally." He responded dismally.

"I know you now! Chris, right? You helped us out during the war, joined forces with that Otto guy?" Duo said, sounding excited.

"Yeah, who are you? Sorry, I forget things sometimes. . ." Duo pointed to his braid and said, "Come on, how could you forget this thing?"

"Duo?"

"Yep! Hey man. . .doing deliveries now?"

"Yeah, I actually like the job. . .it's just not really my day today. . .had a dog chase me across a yard and I tripped over a water hose and flipped over a fence right into a kiddy pool."

"That would explain the. . .slightly damp look." Duo looked him over, just now noticing the wet appearance to his uniform.

"Uh huh. . ."

"You got some luck there, man. Hey, maybe someday your clumsiness will save the day."

"Yeah right, I wish. . .hey, uh, can I get someone to sign for this? Er. . .where'd my board go. . ." He ran back outside and saw it laying in the lawn just past the porch steps, which he proceeded to trip down and fall onto the hard concrete sidewalk. Duo cringed and watched to see what he'd do next. Chris tripped back up the stairs and stumbled into the house, saying, "Whew, would hate to get caught falling up stairs!"

"That'd be embarrassing. . .hey, I'll just sign for it." Duo said. Chris took the box while Duo signed, holding it between his arm and cheek, his ear pressed against it. He frowned while Duo was finishing his signature and Duo glanced up, saying, "I know, I have horrible handwriting. . ."

"No, this box is. . .making strange noises. . ." Chris said. Duo put his ear to the box too and his eyes widened as he yelled, "It's a bomb! Get it out of here!"

"AAAHH!" Chris began running in circles wildly as Duo tried to get him out of the building. They both raced down the sidewalk with the box toward the lake nearby, chucking it in as hard as they could. Chris put too much effort into the toss and fell headfirst into the water. Quickly, Duo grabbed him by the back of his pants and dragged him away from the lake, falling to the ground just as a fountain of water erupted from the lake with a rumble. Duo looked back and said, "That was close. . .you okay, man?"

"Sure. . .all in a day's. . .who am I kidding, that scared the crud out of me!" Chris exclaimed, close to tears. Duo patted his back and stood up, helping him to his feet.

__

Trying to take out the foreign minister and her husband. . .they're getting serious. . .so should we. No more playing around, this time. . .we're gonna end this before it starts!

"I understand, I'll get my finest men on the job. Right, bye." Milliardo hung up the phone and turned to Noin who had been listening.

"Gonna call in your 'finest' men, huh? You're not talking about those five dorks that sit around playing card games all day, are you?" Noin asked, looking a little worried.

"Who better? I'll be back in a couple hours." Milliardo smiled and gave Noin a kiss before he went out the door. An hour later, he arrived at a warehouse in the middle of the industrial district. He walked up to a side door and opened it, stepping into a large, half empty room with a table in the middle, a single light glowing over a group of four guys playing some form of cards.

"Hey look, it's the boss man!" one of the men said, tipping down his black shades as he watched Milliardo approach them.

"Mike, Mike, Mike. . .Chris. . ." Milliardo went around the table, addressing each of them as they nodded a hello.

"Yardo, what's up?" Chris said with a smile, shaking hands with his friend then throwing a card down in the middle of the table on one of the various piles scattered here and there.

"Playing Peanuts again? Is that all you play?" Milliardo watched them for a moment. Chris had his favorite deck in hand as he said, "Yep, got all my ducks in a row. . ." He motioned to the cards in front of him with a duck design on the backs. Milliardo shook his head and said, "I have a job for you guys, if you're up to it."

"Dude, we've been ready for. . .how long have we been in here?" Mike asked. Mike shrugged. Mike didn't speak, as usual.

"Well, I think I missed my grandma's birthday, that was in August. . ." Chris commented casually, slapping down his last card and yelling, "PEANUTS!"

"You always win. . ." Mike said quietly, counting his remaining cards.

"Yeah, you stink. . ." Mike commented grudgingly.

"Then why do I always win?" Chris over dramatically said, staring at Mike.

"Guys? Can I have a moment of your attention?" Milliardo asked, sighing as he crossed his arms.

"Oh sure, go ahead, boss." Chris waved his hand as he sorted the cards laying in the center of the table.

"There's been some trouble brewing in the past two days, serious stuff. The Sanc United Bank was robbed and 10 million dollars in stock was stolen and sold. Also, Chang Wufei's wife, Asuka has been kidnapped and Rachel's missing."

"Sounds like fun! Was anyone hurt?" Mike asked, pushing his shades back up onto his face.

"Yes. . ."

"Can we hurt people now?" Mike asked, glancing at Mike who had a glint in his eyes at the mention of violence.

"Maybe. Look, we need you to get in and find out who's behind all of this. Right now the only leads we have are an athletic woman with long legs-"

"I'll sacrifice myself to the task of taking her down and pumping her for information." Chris said, his voice very serious.

"Yeah, I bet you'd enjoy that. . ." Mike said, smiling with his eyes behind the glasses. Chris sarcastically laughed and chucked some cards at him.

"Where's Dexter? I need to talk to someone who isn't an immature idiot. . ." Milliardo said, walking away.

"Hey, you hired us! You knew from the start we were idiots and yet. . .still we work for you." Chris pointed out.

"It was written in your résumé, wasn't it?" Mike commented.

"Yeah, right next to my modeling experience. . ." Chris cocked an eyebrow as he grinned.

"That's right. . .hey, you were a model too? Weren't you a model, Mike?" Mike looked over to Mike who just shrugged.

"Dexter, where are you?" Milliardo called out as he walked across the room. Suddenly, he heard some loud noises and an explosion from behind a door by him.

"Uh oh, sounds like another messed up experiment in Dexter's Lab. . ." Chris winked.

"HA, good one!" Mike slapped Chris' hand.

"I thought so. . ." Chris grinned.

"Ugh. . .maybe Noin's right. . ." Milliardo grumbled as he opened the noisy door and let out a cloud of smoke. Coughing, he said, "Dexter?"

"Mr. Peacecraft! Hello! coughcough Sorry about the mess, I would have held off on my work and cleaned up a bit if I knew you were coming by! How's the family?" a tall, brown haired man stepped out of the room, his fair skin covered in ash and other mysterious substances. As he dusted himself off, Milliardo said, "They're fine for the moment. We've been having some problems and I knew you guys could handle it. . .if you felt up to the job. . ."

"Come on, boss, it would be an insult if you didn't ask! We'll find out whatever you want, right guys?" Chris stood up with a grin, walking over to join the conversation.

"My brother's confident in our success, and so am I. We may not seem like much but. . ." Dexter said, putting his arm around Chris who pushed it away, complaining about his Armani suit.

"I know. . .I've seen you in action, that's all I need to know to trust you. Get to work as soon as you can, Chris will fill you in on your objectives."

"Yes, sir!" Dexter saluted.

"Alright, sounds like the "The Fainéant Five" are back in action! YeeeeESSS!" Mike high fived Mike.

"The Fainéant Five?" Milliardo cocked his eyebrow at the name.

"Means lazy. . .it was Mike's idea. . ." Chris motioned to the quiet Mike half hiding behind him.

"Ah. . .well, get to work. I have to check back with Relena to make sure no one else has turned up missing. . ." Milliardo walked toward the door and the shaded Mike yelled, "We won't let you down, boss!"

__

Yeah, and that name really makes me feel much better. . .Milliardo thought as he sighed, walking out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the song "I don't want to wait" by: Paula Cole. I also don't own "Monty Python: The quest for the Holy Grail" or the quote from it, though it's a riot.

Chapter 7

♪She had two babies; one was six months one was three, in the war of '44. Every telephone ring, every heartbeat stinging, when she thought it was God calling her. Oh, would her son grow to know his father?♪

__

Where's that singing coming from?

♪He showed up all wet, on the rainy front step, wearing shrapnel in his skin. And the war he saw, lives inside him still, it's so hard to be gentle and warm. The years passed by and now, he has granddaughters.♪

__

It's close by. . .a man. . .but whom? I. . .I have to. . .see. . .Rachel slowly eased her eyelids open, her vision blurring the form before her.

"You're awake. . .good. . ." The man muttered to her, ceasing his singing. She heard him stand and walk toward her, his shoes clapping against hard wood floors. It smelled earthy, wherever she was, as her nose twitched, her body trying to use all the senses it could to find its bearings. Finally her sight faded into focus and she looked up into the same deep green eyes that she last remembered seeing.

"You. . ." She whispered faintly. He crouched beside her, staring at her as he said coldly, "You remember, I'm surprised. . ." She tried to sit up but he raised a gun into view, saying, "I'd stay right where you are. . ." Resting back, she murmured, "Who. . .who are you? What do you. . .want from me?"

"A lot of things. . .mostly. . .I want my life back." He said harshly.

"You. . .look alive to me. . ." She joked. The man growled and said, "You took from me every ounce of my humanity, made me a freak that no one can accept. I'd kill you right here and now but that won't solve my problems. . .I lost everything because of your kind and after you fix what you've caused, you'll wish you never showed your faces."

"What? I. . .I don't understand!" Rachel said, a little worried by the gun in her face. The man stood, roaming across the room as he said, "I was stationed at the Victoria Base when you used your cursed powers to destroy it. The shock wave sent a power surge through all the systems and I happened to have been working on one at the time of your attack. My whole body felt the full intensity of it and went out of control, teleporting me all over the world. Those side effects finally subsided but ever since then, I haven't been able to physically touch another human being without sending them into a coma. You caused me to suffer for three horrid years of my life and you are going to reverse it."

"I. . .I don't know if I can. . .I'm sorry. . ."

"Don't you dare give me that! You're going to fix this, even if it kills you! I lost everything in that war, EVERYTHING! My parents, my brother, my sisters! You monsters killed them all! My little sister was only 3 when she died, how can you live with yourselves knowing you did that!"

"We never harmed a single civilian, we took every precaution not to! I don't know what you're-" Rachel protested.

"Munich, Germany, do you recall that place? It was a struggling city, half its population brought down by the battles raging there. My sister. . .she struggled to keep my family alive because I was a fool and left them, my petty feud with my father drove me to leave them and now. . .now I can't do anything to reconcile for my decision because you killed them!"

"Your. . .sister? No. . .it. . .it can't be. . ." Rachel's eyes widened, feeling her heart begin to race.

"You remember now?"

"Her name. . .wasn't. . .Alyssa, was it?"

"Yes."

"Mrs. Wufei's secured, what next." A man walked into a dark room with a light in the center, slowly swaying back and forth from some unknown source of wind.

"Have you attempted a kidnapping on Mr. Winner's wife yet?" A woman's voice rung out in the dark.

"Not presently, our sources tell us that he has returned home already."

"That was fast. . .you're bleeding." The man looked down at his arm and said, "It's only a flesh wound."

"So said the man from 'The quest for the Holy Grail', but we all know what condition he was in. . ." a figure approached the light and revealed itself. The man joined her in the light and she touched his arm, causing him to flinch.

"It still hurts. . .fine, I'll get it worked on. You happy?" The man grumbled.

"Well, the last thing I need is my best man down for the count cause he wouldn't put aside his pride for a minute."

"I saw your sister." The woman looked up at him with a frown.

"What?"

"She was working for Chang, I left her with the note you sent with me." The woman turned away and said, "Did you hurt her?"

"No, she was fine last I saw her."

"Good. . ." The man approached her and said, "Sara, why didn't she join like you did?"

"I never told her about it, she just assumed I went away to college. She was too. . .'young'. . ."

"I see. . ." They stood in silence for a minute until Sara said, "Chris?"

"Yes?"

"The man I posed as, Trowa. . .he has a daughter, does he not?"

"Yes. . ."

"I want you to find her and bring her here, but beware of her father, he's a force to be reckoned with."

"I understand." Chris turned and walked out of the room, leaving Sara to slowly disappear back into the darkness, saying, "We'll make you surrender to our power, one way. . .or another. . ."

"We're home!" Trowa called out as he walked into the apartment with Precious bounding in behind him. He looked around curiously and said, "Hold on for a second, Precious." She paused on the stairs and blinked, saying, "Okay. . ." Taking a gander around the downstairs, he returned to Precious and pulled out his cellphone, dialing a number quickly.

"Duo, where are you?" Trowa said, his eyes still roaming around the room.

I'm over at the Sanc Capital, where are you? Duo responded.

"At home. . .no one was here and I got a little. . .uneasy."

I don't blame you, I'm still worried about Rachel.

"Why?"

She disappeared this morning while I was getting ready for work, I thought she just left but her car was downstairs and she didn't leave any notes so. . .

"She's been kidnapped?"

I guess so. . .

"You don't sound very concerned. . ."

I'm trying to stay calm, I just had to deal with a bomb over here.

"Really. . .should I join you or carry on like nothing's going on?"

Carry on, no need for you to get involved right now, take care of Precious. Hey, I gotta go, bye. Duo clicked off and Trowa grunted, putting his phone away as he muttered, "Bye. . ."

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Precious looked up into her father's concerned eyes.

__

Why do I feel so. . .unimportant. . .it seems everyday I grow more and more useless as a tied down, single father. . .but I should be happy. . .shouldn't I? Trowa thought to himself, sighing and walking lazily into the living room.

"Get your homework and do it down here, Precious. . ." Trowa muttered.

"Okay." Precious dug into her bag and pranced out to the living room, plopping down next to her father on the couch and opening her books to begin. Trowa leaned back against the couch, slouching as he stared sadly at the ceiling, his eyes showing the emptiness he felt in his heart.

"Daddy? Why are you sad?" Precious surprised her father and he looked down at her.

"I'm not sad. . ." He said, not really meaning it entirely.

"Then why do you look like it?"

"Just. . .thinking. . ."

"About what?"

__

More like "who". . .why can't I stop thinking about her? Trowa groaned and closed his eyes, giving Precious the hint to drop the subject and get back to work.

"Mr. Wufei, sir. . .where are you going now?" Stacy followed her boss around the building as he gathered various things and packed a suitcase.

"I'm staying at the Sanc Capital for the meantime until I find out what's happening and get my wife back, you stay behind and cancel all my appointments until further notice." Chang said, his back to his secretary as he grabbed some unmentionables from the dresser drawer.

"Sir, should I really stay behind? I mean, what if they come back and-"

"Don't be such a coward, Stacy!" Chang exclaimed. The young woman jumped and stared at him fearfully. Chang looked in her eyes for a moment before sighing and saying, "Why don't you want to stay behind. . ."

"Because, Chris might come back and-"

"Wait, Chris? You know who did this?" Chang rushed her and grabbed her arms. She yelped and said, "Yes, yes! He's a friend of my sister's! At least. . .I think it was him. . .I haven't seen him since he went to college with my sister. . ."

"College. . .right. . .you're coming with me now, you're going to tell us exactly what this guy looks like, and your sister. Do you have any pictures?"

"On my desk. . ."

"Then get them and get ready to leave! Move!" Chang shouted and Stacy took off out of the room. Running into her office, she found every content of the room strewn across the floor. She sighed and began digging through it the find her pictures, hoping they hadn't been taken so as to keep their identities a secret. As she walked toward her desk to search more, she heard a crunch under her feet and crouched down, lifting papers to reveal her group photo of friends from back home. Pausing a moment to remember days past, she thought to herself, _It couldn't have been them, why would they do this? But if it wasn't. . .why let me of all people to live? Why is this happening. . ._Stacy wiped a tear off her cheek and stood, walking back out of the disastrous office to hand over the photograph.

"Chang's on his way with a friend, can you prepare two rooms for them, Pagan?" Relena spoke to her butler who bowed and said, "Of course, ma'am." He walked off to begin dressing the spare rooms while Relena strolled down the hallway to her office, hearing talking inside.

"Put a scratch and sniff on the bottom of the pool!" Duo said and began laughing, joined by Chris who was still there. Relena cocked an eyebrow as she said, "Why do I always seem to come in right at the end of all your jokes?"

"Good timing, I guess. What's up?" Duo turned his attention to Relena.

"Chang and his secretary are coming to stay here for a while, at least until this is all figured out. . ."

"Might as well put their names on the mailbox. . ."

"Duo, a little more optimism?"

"So there's a change of address?" Chris seemed interested since it involved his work.

"No. . .where's Heero hiding." Relena sighed.

"Upstairs I think. . .he was getting tired of our jokes. . ." Duo grinned. Relena turned, refusing the urge to roll her eyes as she tried to maintain her poise. Making her way up the long staircase, she walked over to their bedroom door that stood slightly ajar. Pushing, she stepped in and looked around, spotting her husband sitting on the window seat overlooking the garden behind the capitol building.

"Heero?" Relena walked across the room, her eyes transfixed on him as he turned his head to watch her approach.

"I needed a break, too much of Duo isn't a good thing I think. . .I don't know how Rachel and Trowa can live with him. . ." Heero said quietly, looking back out at the beautiful view. Relena sat next to him, looking out as well as she said, "An acquired taste. . .some people couldn't live with you. . ."

"What do I do that's so annoying?" Heero asked curiously.

"You're quite honest with people. . .and you're quiet, too quiet. . .like you're always being studious and critical of everything."

"But I'm not. . .always. . ." Heero admitted, staring at his lap. Relena gently clasped his hand and smiled, bringing his attention to her dancing eyes.

"I know. . .but that's just something I love about you. . .that and you're a great kisser." Relena grinned. Heero would have blushed, if he was that open with his feelings. He smiled softly, saying, "Really. . ."

"Mmm. . .and lover. . ." She crawled over to him, giving him a deep, sensual kiss on the lips, her hand inching down his chest as he moaned. His arms quickly wrapped around her, his fingers working at the hem of her blouse, pulling it slowly out of the waistband of her skirt.

"Geez, get a room. . ." Relena leapt back, quickly fixing her top as she said in a flustered voice, "Duo!"

"What does this look like, baka? Don't you know how to knock?" Heero growled at him, feeling rather frustrated in more than one way.

"Heh, sorry. . .hey, uh, Quatre's here. . ." Duo said, looking away as he blushed in embarrassment.

"Quatre? He never said he was coming. . ." Relena stumbled off the window seat, stuffing her blouse back down into her skirt as she ran to the door. Heero looked longingly after her and sighed, glaring at Duo and muttering after she disappeared downstairs, "I'm going to kill you, Duo. . ."

"Yeah yeah, you're always saying that. . ."

"Well, take a hint!" Heero looked close to using his powers to make a meatloaf out of Duo, but his prey quickly turned and ran down the stairs before he could take action.

"Quatre, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Relena said, greeting her friend at the door.

"I heard Chang was coming to stay here so. . .I hope it's not an inconvenience but I really didn't want anything happening while Sayla's so close to her due date." Quatre said, his voice filled with worry.

"I understand completely, come in. . ." Relena ushered in her guests and gave Sayla a gentle hug as Quatre sat the baggage down in the lobby.

"Relena, I haven't seen you since last year, how have you been?" Sayla said kindly, waddling into the room while Relena closed the door.

"Fairly well, thank you. Come, I'm sure you're tired from the journey, shall we have some tea?" Relena escorted her guests into the parlor room.

"Tea would be wonderful, thank you." Quatre said with a smile, keeping a close eye on his wife as she tottered along.

"I really should be going, I have tons of packages still in need of delivering. It was great catching up with you, Duo!" Chris called out as he walked toward the door, almost tripping over the baggage that Pagan was picking up to take off to a guest room.

"You too, Chris! Watch out for those wild dogs and water hoses!" Duo shouted as he waved to the departing man. Chris went out the door and Duo walked into the parlor to catch up to the new group.

"Duo, I see you're already here." Quatre said, standing to shake hands with his friend. Duo pulled him into a bear hug and nearly crushed him as he said, "Hey, this is great! Just like old times, staying together in one place!"

"Ergh, yeah. . ." Quatre muttered, finally being released for a gasp of air and pat on the back.

"I don't recall having a wife last time. . ." Heero said as he walked into the room, going to Relena's side and taking her hand.

"I guess I'm the only one that hasn't really changed. . ." Duo said, laughing.

"Yeah, and still a virgin. . ." Heero grinned cruelly. Duo frowned and muttered, "Excuse me, I have some decency left. . .at least I don't maul my loved one in front of the window with the door open." Heero frowned at him and Quatre cleared his throat, saying, "Well then, how about that tea?"

"Oh yes, I'll ask Pagan to serve it. If you'll excuse me. . ." Quatre nodded to Relena as she scuttled out of the room, going off to find her housekeeper. The remainder of the group sat down on the couches and relaxed quietly, not speaking as they looked everywhere but at each other. Finally, Sayla turned to Duo and said, "Duo, where's Rachel?"

"I don't know, she disappeared this morning. . ." Duo said quietly. Heero glanced at him and noticed the concern hiding behind his bangs.

"Oh, how dreadful, she's been kidnapped too?" Sayla looked worried. Quatre took her hand and patted it gently, saying, "Now you remember what the doctors said, don't get yourself worked up."

"I'm sorry, darling. . ." Sayla began to wind down as she touched a hand to her chest as if to hold down her heart.

"I don't think she was kidnapped, she would have warned me or something. She's not that easy to capture. . ." Duo said, trying to sound positive. Quatre nodded, not quite believing his façade of confidence.

__

At least. . .I hope she's not. . .Duo thought, looking out through the open doors longing for Relena come back with some tea to consume everyone's time.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or it's characters. Oh, and I don't own Fluffy ( I don't know if the lion's actually called that in the show, I never saw the whole series, only half of it! Oo). I also don't own Dr. Pepper, even if it IS the best soda in the world! gets attacked by Sprite and Pepsi fans . 

Chapter 8

"Quatre? What are you doing there?" Trowa remarked in surprise at his friend's voice over the Capital's line.

"I came to stay with Relena and Heero for a while, I didn't feel comfortable leaving Sayla all by herself to worry over my well being." The young man responded, the same tenderness still that filled it as a child present in his mature voice.

"I understand. . .is Duo staying there?"

"I'm not sure, why?"

"I just needed to know. . .so I can be prepared for anything."

"Ah. You could come here, we could take the time to catch up."

"I'm sorry, Quatre, I have to pass. . .I have work in the morning."

"On a Saturday?"

"Got called in. It's a special event, they need their best performers."

"What about Precious?"

__

I can't tell him about Hope. . .he'll tell everyone and they'll think we're dating! Trowa paused a moment before saying, "I got a babysitter for her."

"Oh you don't need one, you can leave her here with us, we'll watch her for you!"

"I. . ."

"Besides, why pay when you have friends who'll do it for free!"

"It's no charge, sort of a favor."

"A friend?"

"Yeah. . ."

__

Just a friend. . .

"Well then I understand."

"It's not that I don't want you to. . ."

"No no! It's fine, Trowa! Perhaps another time?"

"Perhaps. . ." Trowa was quiet for a few seconds, embarrassed by turning down his best friend.

"Was there. . .anything else you needed to know? Besides Duo's whereabouts." Quatre broke the silence.

"No. . .thank you." Trowa muttered.

"Well. . .oh, Chang's here! Hello, Chang!" Quatre shouted across the hall to the incoming guests.

"I suppose you need to go. . ."

"Not terribly soon, why? Trowa, is something the matter?"

"No. . ."

__

I just wanted to talk to someone. . .

"Okay. . .goodbye and have a pleasant sleep, my friend!"

"You too. . ." Trowa said, listening as the line clicked off and buzzed. He slowly sat the phone down and let out a sigh, making his way upstairs. He didn't even bother to turn on the light or change as he crawled into his bed and laid on his stomach, tucking his arms under the pillow and staring distantly at the open door. An ache in the depths of his body kept him awake with troubled thoughts and urges to cry till the morning light came.

__

Not a wink of sleep. . .this isn't good. Catherine's going to kill me. Trowa thought as he moaned and got up, walking into his bathroom and getting undressed. He stepped into the shower, letting a fountain of cold water pour down over his naked body. He didn't even notice it as he began to lather up.

"Trowa, there you are! What took you?" Catherine called out. Pausing, he glanced over at the impatient looking brunette and said, "Had a little lady to bring along."

"Hmm? Where is she?"

"With. . .a friend. . ." Trowa said softly, making his way to his dressing room.

"Oh, alright. . .Trowa?" He looked back and she said, "Nevermind, you'd better hurry."

__

I wonder what that was about. . .Trowa thought as he got ready.

"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages! Never have you seen such an act so daring, so dangerous, so amazing as the duo of a princess and her fool! Both will fly to each other. . ." The sound of the ring master's voice seemed to fizzle out in Trowa's mind as he gazed down at the crowd below, feeling a little dizzy.

__

I'm no one's fool. . .I'm just. . .a fool. . .Trowa thought, sighing as he glanced up at his performance partner far across the tent from him. He caught the ringmaster gesturing up to their trapeze act 30 feet in the air. Trowa waited for Catherine to signal him to start. With a flourish, the costumed woman grabbed the bar and swung out over the ring, her movements mirrored by her partner. As they did flips and daring moves from trapeze to trapeze, the crowd oooed and awed in delight. Finally, Trowa flipped over, hanging from the center bar and reaching out to Catherine who trustingly leapt to him. He grabbed her hands, nearly missing as she started to slip.

"Trowa!" Catherine whispered, looking up fearfully as he grit his teeth and let go briefly to grab her wrist. He did the same with the other hand and swung her up onto the bar where she wrapped her legs around the wire and lifted herself up. Grabbing the wires, she stood up, quickly being joined by Trowa who faced her as the crowd cheered. While the audience happily applauded the act, Catherine stared at Trowa, her eyes wide. Trowa's chest heaved nervously as he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. After they made their way down and off stage, Catherine trotted after Trowa, saying, "What happened out there, you almost dropped me!"

"I know. . ." Trowa said calmly, heading straight for his dressing room.

"What! Is that all you have to say, I almost died! Face me when I'm yelling at you!" She sharply grabbed his arm and jerked him back, nearly raising her hand to slap him. He turned his face away, cringing in anticipation of the attack. Catherine's heart was pounding as she said in a quiet voice, "What's. . .going on with you, Trowa?"

"N. . .nothing. . ."

"Talk to me. . .what's wrong?" Trowa slowly looked into her eyes, momentarily letting the empty feeling show in his tired green eyes. She was startled by it, her eyes widening as her grip softened. He faced her, silently staring into her eyes before muttering, "I'm. . .sorry, I didn't sleep last night. I didn't mean to. . ."

"Oh Trowa. . ." Pulling him close, she hugged him, hearing his heart pounding as hard as hers.

"Trowa. . .?" Trowa whipped his head around, seeing Hope watching with Precious by her side holding her hand.

"Hope, uh. . ." Trowa almost blushed as he pushed Catherine away.

"Daddy, daddy!" Precious broke free, running to Trowa as he knelt to meet her. She fell into his arms, bawling ceaselessly as he said, "Precious, what is it? What's wrong?"

"DADDY!" Precious sobbed, burying her face in his costume. Hope slowly approached as she said, "She. . .was scared, she saw your performance a few minutes ago. . ." Trowa looked up and his face softened as he said gently, "It's alright, sweetie, it was all part of the show; it was all on purpose."

"On. . .purpose?" Precious whimpered, looking up into her dad's eyes. He tried to smile to reassure her as he said, "Of course. . .I would never let anything bad happen to me or your auntie Catherine."

"That's right, Precious, you're dad would never put my life in jeopardy! No comment on his own. . ." Catherine almost inaudibly mumbled the last remark. Trowa briefly glared at her before hugging Precious and whispering, "Don't worry that pretty little head of yours, nothing bad's going to happen to me, okay?"

"sniff Okay. . .daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you!" Precious wrapped her short arms around his neck, giving him a hug. He hugged her back as Hope smiled down at the couple, getting caught up in the moment herself. Easing her slowly away, Trowa said with a loving smile, "Hey, how about we hang out now?"

"Yeah!" Precious bounced up and down.

"I'll be right back, I have to change."

" 'Kay!" Standing, Trowa headed for his room while Precious bounded over to Hope, grabbing her hand and dragging her over to Catherine, saying cheerfully, "Hopey, come meet my Auntie Cathy! Auntie, this is my friend, Hopey!"

"It's so nice to meet you, that was an amazing performance you did! You and your brother make a good team." Hope said, shaking hands with Catherine. Brushing aside her bronze curls, Catherine said sweetly, "Thank you! But we're not related, he just calls me her aunt because I was always like a big sister to him when he was younger. I still am, come to think of it. . ."

"Oh, I'm sorry for assuming." Hope blushed in embarrassment.

"No problem, we get that all the time! Say, are you friends with Trowa or just a babysitter?"

"Well, I honestly don't know him that well, we've only known each other for about 3 days!"

"Oh, don't feel bad, I've known him for almost 5 years and he's still as mysterious as the day he walked in asking for a job and pet Fluffy!" Catherine laughed, recalling the first day she saw him.

"Fluffy?"

"Fluffy's one of the lions used in our shows."

"Oh my!" Hope said, sounding startled as she cupped a hand over her mouth.

"I was bold, what can I say. . ." Trowa said as he walked out and joined the women.

"You were reckless, there's a big difference. . ." Catherine scolded. As Trowa seemed the least bit amused, Hope giggled, thinking, _They are like brother and sister! And they look so alike, aside from the different eye colors. How odd. . ._

"Ready to go?" Trowa looked down at Precious who had grasped his hand.

"Is Hope coming too?" Precious asked. Hope snapped out of her thoughts as she heard her name mentioned, looking up as Trowa looked at her, saying, "Well. . ."

"You're not busy, are you, Hope?" Precious begged, staring up with her big green eyes, seemingly larger than usual.

"No, not really. . .I don't want to impose. . ." Hope said timidly.

"You won't, right, daddy?" Trowa was still staring at Hope, who blinked at the sudden attention she had. Finally, he turned his head to the tent opening, saying, "Of course not, she can come along."

"Yay! Can Auntie come too?" Precious was getting hyper by all the joy building inside her. Catherine was watching the way the two adults had been acting and was softly grinning to herself.

"I'm sorry, Precious, I have things to do today. Maybe some other time?" Trowa stared at her, looking like he was almost pleading her to come. Catherine just turned her head away, saying as she walked toward her dressing room, "Call you later!"

__

Thanks, Catherine. . .geez, she must think something's going on between us! What did they talk about while I was away! I'm going to regret this, I know it. . .Trowa thought, sighing as he started walking toward the exit. Hope hurried to catch up as Precious hopped along side her father, singing songs to herself in her cute little girl voice. As the trio wandered the amusement park, Precious enjoyed her own little world while the two adults looked for everything to look at but each other.

__

I feel so uncomfortable, like I can't even be myself. . .what am I so afraid of? It's not a date so who cares what he thinks, right? He looks handsome today. . .how can he look so good and not even try! It's not even fair. . .well, I suppose it was my own fault for spending all this morning doing my hair and putting makeup on for someone who doesn't even care about me. I wonder if he's feeling awkward too. . .Hope thought to herself, sneaking a peek at him. A gust of wind swept past and she reached to hold down her skirt as it danced on the breeze. Trowa glanced at her and stared at her face, thinking, _She's so polite and. . .gentle. . .what's a guy like me doing spending the day with her? I'm not even giving her a chance, how could I ask her to stay? I'm so selfish, I haven't stopped to think of how she might feel! She's probably uneasy being here with total strangers. _Precious pulled on Trowa's hand and he looked down at her, saying, "What is it, Precious?"

"Can we go on that ride? Please?" She pointed across the way to a teacup ride loading on riders as she spoke.

"I guess so. . .are you okay with it?" Trowa asked Hope who nodded with a smile, saying, "I love them."

"Yay, let's hurry, they're almost full!" Precious dragged the two chaperons to the ride and Trowa paid for it, running to catch up to Precious as she picked a cup to ride in. She plopped down and her father slid in next to her, Hope left to sit next to Trowa. As the ride began, they slowly sped up, rotating in a hilly circle.

"This is fun." Hope said, trying to break the silence.

"Wanna have more fun? Watch this!" Precious grabbed the steering wheel in the middle of the cup and began turning it quickly, catching everyone off guard as the force threw them into each other. Hope fell into Trowa and blushed as she looked up into his eyes, seeing the discomfort she too felt. Suddenly, she began to laugh as she grabbed the steering wheel and stopped the spinning suddenly.

"Now this way!" Hope shouted over the music playing in the background and the hum of the ride engines. She started it turning the other direction and Precious squealed with delight, helping her turn it faster. Trowa couldn't help but smile at their fun, nearly giving in to the laughter erupting from his fellow passengers.

__

She's not as reserved as she gave on to being, she's laughing like. . .well, like Precious! Why can't I just let myself have fun and laugh along with them? I feel like I'm ruining the moment. . .Trowa thought to himself, trying not to frown. The ride finally ended and the riders staggered out and down the pavement to the next ride.

"That was AWESOME! Wasn't it, daddy?" Precious said enthusiastically, bouncing joyfully.

"Yeah, it was fun. What next?" Trowa said, smiling down to her.

"Bumper cars! We have to do that! I'm tall enough now to ride them by myself, you know. . ." Precious said proudly, a broad grin on her face. Hope giggled as they walked up to the ride and paid for the tickets, getting on and into their own cars. The cars surged to life and the drivers took off around the oval track, running into each other and laughing insanely. Precious searched for her father and spotted him across the track from her, yelling out, "I'm gonna get you this time, daddy!" Trowa merely smiled as he evaded accidents brought on by other drivers. He dodged another crash and zoomed past his daughter as she ran into the wall.

"Wow, he's a good driver. . .wonder if he did racing once or something. . ." Hope said quietly to herself, trying to avoid being hit by little bratty troublemakers riding with them. She saw Trowa coming her way and ducked behind another driver, getting in Trowa's blind spot and sneaking up on him while he was watching someone coming for him. Quickly, she took a chance and floored it, ramming into Trowa's rear fender and sending him jerking forward. He whipped his head around in surprise and stared at Hope as she waved and smiled.

__

She hit me! No one's ever hit me before. . .oh, she's going down. . .Trowa thought to himself, narrowing his eyes and taking evasive action to get free of the oncoming collision that Hope got trapped in. Going around the curve, he steered around a slow poke and headed back to find Hope as she got out of the three-car pileup. Just as she started heading for Precious, she spotted Trowa coming up on her rear and braced as he ran into her. She stared at him as he grinned, saying, "Now we're even."

"Says you, I'll get you later!" Hope said, flipping her hair at him as she turned the car, heading in a different direction than him. She met up with Precious and said, "Hey, wanna gang up on your dad?"

"Sure! I can't believe you hit him, that was so cool!" Precious said, cheering Hope on.

"Thanks! Quick, make him come this way and I'll surprise him from the front by coming around the support beam!" Hope said, driving away and getting in her hiding spot, ready to charge forward to snag her prey. Going after her father, she corralled him into the turn, trapping him so he couldn't avoid Hope who suddenly came flying around the corner and right into his front bumper. Both girls laughed as Precious said, "We got you!"

"What, are you tag teaming now?" Trowa said, feeling betrayed by his own daughter. Several other cars rammed them and stuck them in the middle, taking their sweet time to pull back and let them out. During that time, Trowa stared at Hope, who returned the stare with a gentle smile. He blinked and fought the urge to smile as he said, "Hope. . ." Blushing, Hope's smile faded and she thought to herself, _What's wrong, he's staring at me so strangely! It's. . .making me uncomfortable. . ._

"Daddy, come on, the ride's over!" Precious called out as she walked across the track to the exit gate. Flustered, the adults quickly joined her and walked with her in silence as she babbled on about the devious plan to catch Trowa.

"I still can't believe you got him twice, I mean, that was so awesome! Hey, are you guys listening to me?" Precious frowned up at Trowa and Hope who snapped out of their trances and looked down at her.

"Yeah, I heard every word." Trowa lied, looking at the ground.

"Okay. Hey, I'm hungry, can we get something to eat?" Precious said, her stomach growling to back up her claim.

"Sure, what do you want?" Trowa said, looking around at the stands around them.

"Corn dogs!" Precious said, excitedly running over to a stand selling corn dogs and burgers. Slowly, Trowa pursued her and stood behind her as she asked the man at the stand for some food.

"Anything for your parents, little girl?" The man said. Hope blinked and looked over at Trowa who was blushing at the comment.

__

He's. . .blushing. . .wow. Hope thought, almost smiling at his embarrassment.

"I'll. . .have a corn dog and a coke." Trowa said, scratching his head.

__

And he didn't correct the man. . .Hope blinked in surprise, saying to the man, "And I'll have the same, except make that a Dr. Pepper, please." The man walked around the booth getting their orders ready as they waited in silence. Precious got impatient and stared up at them, saying, "Why are you guys so quiet?"

"Cause there's nothing to talk about." Trowa said quietly.

"But I feel like I'm talking to myself, say something!" Precious whined.

"Something." Hope said. Precious giggled and said, "That's not what I meant!"

__

A sense of humor. . .well, at least she's not a wet blanket. . .like me. Trowa thought to himself, sighing. Hope looked up at him and said in a soft voice, "Is something wrong?"

"Hmm? No. . ." Trowa said, looking around for something to distract him from the conversation ensuing.

"You sighed. . .last I noticed a sigh was either a sign of sadness or bliss. . .and you don't seem that happy." Hope pointed out.

"No, I'm fine. . .really." Hope bowed her head, saying, "Okay. . .if you insist."

__

Hmm, she didn't bug me about it. . .I wonder why. . .Trowa thought, thankful she wasn't too nosy. The group got their food and found a picnic table nearby, sitting at it to enjoy their lunch in peace and quiet.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters. I don't mean for Trowa to sound like an irresponsible twit, it's just how I think the guy would react if two things he cared about were taken away. . .artistic license, ya know? I wrote this chapter and the next on my trip to Washington D.C. so I might not have paid too much attention to it, so don't sue me if it sounds kinda boring. . .I was busy making sure the Police didn't find me. Er, I mean, taking tours. . .heh. .

Chapter 9

"Have you spotted them yet?" Chris asked a clown that was walking by as he read a newspaper.

"By the corn dog stand eating. There's a woman with them, sir." The clown said, pausing to fix his balloons.

"A woman, eh? A bow, perhaps?" Chris cocked an eyebrow, flipping to the next page and scanning it.

"Don't know, there's not much conversation going on. Should I make any moves?"

"Sure, but be careful, don't be too obvious." The clown skipped away as Chris folded up his paper and looked up at the sky with a smile.

__

Another distraction, this'll be easier than I thought. Chris thought to himself as he put on some shades, tucked the paper under his arm, and strolled away from the bench, fading into the crowd.

"Daddy, look, balloons! May I have one?" Precious pleaded as the clown walked by.

"Sure, go ahead." Trowa said, giving her a dollar as she hopped over to the balloon man. He stopped and smiled at her, handing her a pink balloon and saying, "Here you go, little girl."

"Thank you!" She chirped, handing him the money and skipping back to her father. The clown continued on and didn't look back, saying quietly, "Done."

"Daddy, can we go on more rides now? Please?" Precious bounced eagerly at his side as he picked up the remains of their meal, saying, "Sure, but nothing too wild, you just ate."

"Okay, how about. . .that one!" Precious pointed to a mirror maze and Trowa looked warily at it.

"I don't know. . ." Trowa said.

"Oh don't worry, she won't get lost, and I'll make sure she doesn't!" Hope said cheerfully.

"Well, uh. . .I. . .I guess. . ."

"YAY! Let's go, let's go!" Precious pulled on Hope's hand and they raced toward the amusement ride, Trowa lagging behind yelling for her to slow down. Precious impatiently bobbed up and down while Trowa paid and shot into the ride like a rocket as soon as she was allowed.

"Precious!" Trowa called out.

"Don't worry, I'll find her!" Hope jumped in after her and disappeared into the maze of mirrors. Trowa quickly pursued them and immediately got lost.

__

I don't like this, I can't see them. . .Trowa thought to himself.

"Hope, where are you? Daddy?" Precious turned around, finding herself in a dead end. She backtracked a ways but found herself in an endless circle of walls. She tried not to panic, calmly calling out for the two adults she was with.

"Precious, where are you?" Hope called out, hearing her voice as she made her way through the maze.

"Hopey, I'm here!" They finally followed each other into a dead end where they met up and hugged.

"Yay, I found you! Where's my daddy?" Precious said, looking up.

"I don't know, I think he got lost back there." Hope said, giggling with Precious.

"Oops, my balloon!" Precious lost her grip of the string and the balloon floated up toward the roof.

"Oh, it's going to-" Hope reached for it, seeing some jagged tiles it was heading for, but it was too late. With a resounding pow, releasing a strange scent into the air.

"What's that smell?" Precious said, wrinkling her nose momentarily before swaying and moaning.

"It's. . .it's sleep. . .ing gas. . .?" Hope said slowly, falling to her knees with Precious as they crumbled to the floor.

__

What was that sound? Oh no. . .where are they? Trowa began to panic as he ran quickly around the maze, trying to find his way out of the maze. Finally, he came to a dead end and found remains of the pink balloon laying on the floor. He backed away from the area, sensing an odor in the air as he covered his nose.

"No. . .not them too. . ." Trowa ran with all his might out of the maze, coming to a sharp halt as he looked around frantically for any signs of the kidnappers. Sweating, Trowa yelled, "PRECIOUS! HOPE! WHERE ARE YOU! PRECIOUUUUS!"

"So. . .Michael, is it? If you let me go, I can take you to your sister and-" Rachel tried to reason with her kidnapper.

"No, I'm not going to let you fool me into some trap, I'm not that stupid." Michael said, brushing back some loose red locks as he plopped down in a chair adjacent to her seat on the couch.

"I didn't even know you existed, let alone had time to devise a trap, so how could there be one for me to lead you into?" Rachel queried tiresomely, leaning her cheek on her palm as she rested an elbow of the arm of the couch.

"You're the one with the powers, you tell me." He stared at her with his intense eyes again and she looked away, getting nervous. He cocked an eyebrow and said curiously, "Why do you always look away when I stare at you? Are you afraid your true intentions will show in your eyes?"

"No, I'm not." Rachel said, looking distraught. He stood, walking over to her slowly as he said in a lower voice, "Then why. . .tell me, or I'll. . ."

"No, stay away, I don't want to hurt you but I will if you force me to!" Rachel said, scrunching back on the couch as he approached her. He began to pull the gloves off his hands as he said, "Fine, go ahead and stop me if you wish to. . .you can't run from me, I'll only come for you again."

"Stop!" Rachel threw up her hands, closing her eyes tightly as she cringed. He blinked, staring at her in expectancy as she held her hands between herself and him.

"And. . .do you expect me to just stop because you put your hands in the way?" Michael said in a cold voice. She blinked, staring at her hands as she said, "It. . .it didn't work. . .but how. . .that's impossible!"

"What didn't work? Your charm? Cause I'm not impressed. . ." He grabbed her hands, scaring her as she said, "No, my powers, they aren't working!"

"Look, I don't know how stupid you think I am-" Michael said fiercely.

"No, I really can't-" He grabbed her throat with his gloved hand, staring coldly into her eyes as she gasped, feeling her body fall back against the couch suddenly. Tensing up, she tried not to fight him, fearing the risk of breaking her own neck. A careless expression covered Michael's face as he slowly brought his bare hand close to her cheek, saying quietly, "I don't like being toyed with. . .who do you think you are?"

"N-no one. . .just an. . .ordinary person trying to make it through life. . ." She responded hesitantly.

"Ordinary? Pah, you're far from that! Why don't you show me how 'ordinary' you really are." Michael taunted, briefly grazing her soft skin with his index finger. Her eyelids fluttered as she felt her energy drift from her body, letting out a discontented moan in response.

"I. . .I can't. . .please. . ." Rachel pleaded, her eyes doing the same.

__

She seems sincere enough. . .but she managed to somehow kill Treize in a room full of guards without retaining any bodily harm. She can't be trusted. Michael thought, keeping his thoughts hidden behind his dead stare.

"Give me a reason to trust you and maybe I'll let you live longer." He said, keeping his eyes locked on hers. She couldn't think of anything, finally saying quietly, "Nothing I can say will be enough for you, so why waste each others' time?"

"You aggravate me. . ." He growled, releasing her and walking away into another room. She grit her teeth, glancing at a door not 10 feet from where she was sitting.

__

If I try to run, he'll just come for me again; it would be futile to try. Could. . .he be testing me? I can't take that chance. . .but I can't stay here, not right now! Rachel looked around, getting a feel for the room she was trapped in. It looked to be a cabin, the walls made of wooden logs stacked together. The floor was wood as well with traces of dirt scattered here and there between the floorboards. She noticed an axe by the door and followed the wall it was against over to a fireplace on the opposite wall, a pile of fresh firewood placed neatly by the hearth.

__

Looks like he lives here, makes sense. I suppose if I was cursed with some mysterious power I didn't understand I would do the same. . .I have to get through to him somehow, gain his trust. This isn't going to be easy. . .With a soft sigh, Rachel called out, "Do you even know what's going on right now? Michael?" The cabin was quiet, the sound of her own thoughts echoing off the walls. She became restless and stood up, roaming in the direction of where Michael disappeared.

"Michael? I don't have time to spend waiting around for you, my friends are disappearing slowly and we don't know who's behind it. Please, let me go. I can't help you if the world falls apart. . ." She stared at the door, contemplating whether to open it or wait for him to return. Mustering the courage, she touched the doorknob, gently wrapping her hand around the cold metal. She slowly turned it, hearing the door click as it opened. As it swayed into the room, she peered in the modest bedroom curiously, not seeing any signs of her kidnapper. Stepping in, she saw a bathroom door next to the bed, a light shining through the crack under it.

__

Guess he had to go. . .Rachel thought as her eyes wandered around the room, stopping on a small picture frame sitting atop the bedside nightstand. She walked over and gingerly picked it up, looking at the group photo. One face stirred up memories as she touched the glass, whispering, "Precious. . ."

"She is. . .or was. . ." Startled, Rachel turned sharply, coming face to face with Michael.

"No, Precious, that's. . .her name. . .how old is this picture, 4 years?" Rachel asked, looking back down at the frame in her hand.

"Yes. . .how'd you know?" Michael walked over to a dresser adjacent to the nightstand, pulling out the top drawer and sifting through the contents.

"She looks slightly younger in this picture than the day Trowa appeared with her. . .is this her sister? Alyssa, right?" Michael paused and stared at her for a minute, slowly unbuttoning his black shirt. He looked away, saying as he removed it, "Yes. She was too young to die. . .and you're 'friend' stole her from me and kept my little sister as his own."

"Trowa didn't kill Alyssa, he wouldn't. . .it's not like him. . ." Rachel said quietly, sinking down onto his bed. Slipping on a white long sleeved shirt and beginning to button it, Michael said, "Maybe you don't know him as well as you think."

"He thinks people don't understand him, like he's a total riddle to us. . .but he's not that hard to get. He's a very compassionate person. . .the war just forced his emotion into hiding."

"I see. . ."

"You don't believe me, do you? Well, of course you don't, you think I'm just some malicious killer with an incurable disease for lying." Rachel said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. Michael looked her over curiously as he said, "Very poetic. Are you a writer?"

"Huh?" Rachel said, surprised by the show of interest.

"Well, since you are determined to prove you're not a maliciously lying killing machine, tell me about yourself, then I'll decide if I'll trust you or not."

__

He's really sneaky. . .I might have liked him if the terms were better. Rachel thought, cocking an eyebrow as she rested her chin on her palm.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do write. It's not my strong suit, I'm an artist fulltime."

"Really. . .just a hobby?"

"No, I teach and do commission work, privately run, of course."

"I see. . .do you have many students?" Michael walked over to a desk near the door and sat down, digging out some papers to work on.

"Only one at the moment. I help Precious if she gets the urge to draw something."

"Does she live near you?"

"Same apartment; her father moved in with me and my boyfriend so it's like one big happy family."

"How long has this been?"

"About a month or so, but we used to see him all the time before."

"So you're like a mother figure to her, or is this man married? I should assume not since you didn't mention anyone."

"He's. . .still single." Rachel looked frustrated as she sighed. Michael turned to her, noting her depressed mood.

"No girlfriend?"

"Well, he had one but he broke it off a few days ago, said she was too. . .nosy? Or was that the one before her. . .maybe it was Jessica. . .or. . .Nicole? I forget. . ."

"Had a few women in his life?" Michael turned back to his work, writing on his papers.

"Yeah, I guess 22 is a few. . .but who's counting."

"22? Must be a bad kisser or something."

"No. . .he's never gotten that close to any of them, never let them."

"Uh huh. . ."

"I thought this was about me, I mean, I'm the one you're gonna kill."

"Hmm. . ." Michael grunted, ignoring her comment. Frowning, she glared at the back of his head. She suddenly got an idea, grinning as she stood and said, "So, I've told you a little about myself, what's a little about you that's not a secret or confidential?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" He glared at her as she leaned against his desk.

"The way I see it, you need me alive and if I can't leave, we might as well get to know each other!"

"I kidnapped you, you're suppose to be scared for your life." He frowned.

"Who says? SO, what kind of hobbies do you have?" She grinned.

"Leave me alone." He stood abruptly, walking toward the door.

"Got a favorite food? I personally like pizza with spinach on it, I hate Brussels Sprouts taste awful. . ."

"I like food, too bad I don't have any so I'm gonna get some, bye." Picking up a coat, he stalked toward his front door with Rachel right behind him.

"I'll come too! Besides, it's boring here and we can talk on the way!"

"I think not." He pulled his glove off, shoving his hand into her face.

"MFFTT!" Rachel tried to complain but she fell to the floor unconscious.

__

This isn't good. . .she's right, I can't kill her. Doesn't mean I can't keep her under control. . .my own way. Michael thought as he left Rachel lying on the floor while he went out.

"Trowa, what brings-" Quatre greeted his friend at the door. Looking thoroughly distraught, Trowa stepped into the Capitol lobby and said quickly in a loosely controlled voice, "They're gone, someone set up a trap and now they're missing and it's all my fault, I should have been more watchful-"

"Trowa, take it easy, who's gone?" Quatre caught him by the arm, his eyes full of concern.

"Precious and Hope, they've been kidnapped and I was too stupid to see it coming." Trowa looked close to collapsing as his friend led him into the foyer where others were currently.

"Trowa, what's wrong?" Duo stood, seeing the young man stumbling into the room. As Trowa fell into a couch, he mumbled, "They're gone. . .I was a fool. . ."

"A fool, you say? Feh, then I too am a fool. . ." Chang said, sipping at his cup of green tea.

"Chang?" Trowa looked up, his eyes looking dulled by his misery.

"Mrs. Wufei has been kidnapped, didn't you know? Same as Rachel. . ." Quatre said solemnly.

"I knew about Rachel. . .why is all of this happening? Nothing special's been going on so why. . .why now?"

"Yes, you wouldn't think that they'd wait till now. All the countries have signed on to the peace treaty and the coming of the new years is here finally."

"While I'm as eager as you to begin F.O. 1 (Fall of OZ), we can't until we're absolutely sure the threat is done with." Relena said as she entered the room carrying a cup of tea. The men stood and Heero entered behind his wife.

"I need to file a missing person's report, so I know who to look for." Heero said mildly, glancing down at Trowa.

"So far it's been Asuka, Rachel, Precious, and. . .who was that last person?" Quatre asked.

"Hope. . .I've lost Hope. . ." Trowa muttered, staring at the floor.

"Indeed. . .who's Hope?" Chang looked curious; it wasn't often that Trowa showed concern for a woman.

"Is this the Hope that Rachel teaches?" Duo asked, interested as well.

". . .Yes, but she was just babysitting Precious for me today, I had to work." Trowa said nervously, not looking up.

"Where were they when they were kidnapped?" Heero asked.

"With me at the carnival. . ." Hiding his face in his hands, they guessed he wasn't too keen on talking anymore.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the infamous "Buttbomb" created by my friend Chris Widener, thanks for your amusement at many a boring 4-H meeting!

Chapter 10

"Milliardo, your pants are calling you." Noin said sarcastically, pointing to his right pocket.

"Must be the boys, let's see what they've turned up." Milliardo said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out his cell.

"I need to check in on an old friend, later." Noin waved as she walked out the front door of their apartment. Waving, Milliardo answered the phone, "Milliardo."

Hey boss, we. . .sorta came up with something. Chris said on the other end.

"Sorta? Do I pay you to 'sorta' do work?" He said, getting ticked at his men.

Well, you see, Mike was searching online for some info on the attackers and. . .he got a virus.

"What? I thought he was the best at defending against that! I mean, he was a convicted hacker before he worked for me. . ."

Yes but he's never seen this before. It didn't do any damage but now whenever he does a certain search, he gets-

A buttbomb! It's horrible, some guy's butt with wings flies across the screen and farts away all of my work! Mike ripped the phone from Chris, losing his shades as Chris smacked him in the back of the head.

"A. . .what? What's a buttbomb?" Milliardo asked, sounding slightly disturbed.

Mike says it's something from back where he lived as a teenager, his brother made it up. Mike said as he put his shades back on and punched Chris.

"Which Mike?"

Widener, sir, his brother's name is Chris. Can't be all bad, he's got a great name. Chris said, grinning as he stole the cell phone back and ran from Mike.

"Does he know where his brother is?"

He said he went to college with their friend, Sara Sachs. Sound a bit suspicious?

"Just a bit. Has he had contact with him since then?"

Don't think so, no one calls Mike. . .sad really, I get calls from lady friends all the time. My my, they love me! Chris said, grinning as he blushed.

"Uh huh. . .well, look into that for me."

There's nothing wrong with never getting phone calls, sir, no need to dig into his private life!

"No, his brother and their friend!"

Oh! Right, of course, immediately as possible or. . .whatever, bye! I mean, over and out, heh. He hung up and Milliardo sighed, muttering to himself, "Idiots. . .I guess everyone has their immature moments. . .them more than others. Better fill in the others."

Stacy walked down the stairs, entering the lobby on her way to find Chang. As she passed the downstairs phone, it rang and she stared at it.

"No one around. . .oh well, I am a secretary after all." She picked it up and said cheerfully, "Sanc Capitol, how may I direct your call?"

This is Milliardo Peacecraft, I need to speak with either head of the house immediately. Milliardo responded in his strong, deep voice.

"Oh, of course! I'll retrieve one for you, Mr. Peacecraft. Please hold!" Stacy set down the receiver and dashed into the foyer, finding both Relena and Heero standing near Chang, quietly drinking tea.

"Mr. Peacecraft is on hold with immediate needs for either of your attentions, Mr. and Mrs. Peacecraft-Yuy." Stacy announced.

"You answered the phone?" Relena said, giving her drink to Heero as she followed Stacy into the lobby.

"She's a great secretary, what can I say." Chang commented with a grin. Relena picked up the phone, saying, "Milliardo, I take it you have some information to share?"

Yes, we know who's behind this all, or at least have an idea. Apparently this war's been planned at least a year or so, maybe more, judging by the information I received. We've identified two people responsible for the attacks, their names are Chris Widener and Sara Sachs.

"Chris and Sara. . .how old are they? Do you have any I.D. on them?"

No, their files don't even exist, or maybe they do but we can't access them. There's some kind of block keeping us from finding any more helpful info. Stacy fidgeted with an article in her hands, muttering, "E-excuse me, Ma'am?"

"Hmm? Yes, Stacy?" Relena put her hand over the mouthpiece, turning to the nervous girl. She handed her the photo and said, "Will. . .this help?" Taking it, Relena stared at the group photo of some young adults goofing off, saying, "What's this?"

"It's me with my friends. . .including my sister Sara and our friend, Chris."

"Stacy. . .you know them? Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because, when we arrived last night it was very late and everyone went to bed. Mr. Wufei was already so frustrated and worried about his wife. . .I didn't want to give him more to worry over." Stacy said, bowing her head. With a sigh, Relena turned back to her brother and said, "I have photo identification of the suspects, I'll fax them to you from my office, call me there." Hanging up the phone, she turned to Stacy and said, "I need you to tell me which ones they are and as much as you can about them." She nodded and Relena led her to her office.

"Are the prisoners comfortable?" Sara approached a man standing over a control panel, tending to things. He turned and said, looking up, "Who cares, we're gonna kill them anyway, right?" With a frown, Sara stared down the short technician, saying, "A dead hostage does nothing but take up space, you should know better, Mr. Hearn."

"Yeah, what's your point." He grumbled as he turned back to the panel, pressing a few buttons. Suddenly, the floor opened up before them, giving way to three cross-shaped platforms standing on end, bodies strapped down and wired to them.

"Wake the woman." Sara said, stepping up to look over the prisoners. To the right of the center structure, Hope lay plastered to the structure, unconscious. With a few button sequences, several tubes running into her body were flooded with a blue liquid shortly before she woke with a jolt.

"Trowa, he-help?" She began to cry out as the last thought on her mind came out. The view from her prison caught her by surprise as she tried to pull free but found it impossible to move at all, bringing a cry of discomfort and fear from her lips.

"Oops, guess I tied them too tight." He laughed, walking off to work on something else. Turning her attention to Hope, Sara said, "Hello there, we haven't met and we won't either. But I would like to know what your name might be, just so I can refer to you as something other than 'girl' or 'hey you'."

"W-why should I tell you anything? I don't know what you want with me but please, let the girl go, I'm sure you have her too." Hope responded, trying to sound strong while her heart was pounding in her ears.

"Why would we let her go, she's the one we wanted, you just add to the sweetness of our upcoming victory over those peace-loving politicians." Sara spat out.

__

They wanted her? But. . .why, I'm the one with an important and powerful father. I don't understand. . .what is there about Trowa? Could he be. . .a spy? Hope wondered, keeping a calm expression.

"How can you use a poor little girl as a pawn in your sick game, why can't you just take it out on who you're angry at and leave the innocent alone!"

"Heh, no one's innocent. . .not even your precious Relena." Sara grinned cruelly.

"Precious. . ." Hope muttered, looking around at her surroundings.

"She's close by, just out of sight. Now, are you going to be stubborn and not tell me your name or be good and talk?" Sara sounded like she was getting perturbed as she drummed her fingers on the console, staring impatiently at Hope.

"My father called me a stubborn person, but I think that's safer than anything else. Like they say, 'better to be thought a fool and remain silent, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

"Poetic. . .I suppose you won't be of any further use to us. . .perhaps Mrs. Wufei will be more responsive. Though, I've heard she's quite a wildcat, sounds like potential fun."

"Mrs. . . .Wufei? But, that's the Chinese prime minister's wife! And. . .friends with. . ."

"I see the big picture's coming together for you, too bad you won't have much time to think it over. Nighty niiight." Sara waved sarcastically with a fake smile as Mr. Hearn returned to put Hope back into a controlled coma.

"No, wa. . .it. . .P. . .Precious. . ." Hope's voice faded out as the liquids flowing into her veins changed and set her body into a deep sleep.

"Anyone else?" Mr. Hearn asked, looking bored.

"I'll wait to bother Mrs. Wufei, it's time for dinner." Sara smiled, walking off to an elevator behind them, stepping in and taking one last glance at the three crosses before the doors closed.

"How are you feeling, darling?" Quatre stepped into his guest room, finding his wife sitting at a desk writing. A soft smile crossed his face and he walked over to her. Resting his hands on the back of her seat, he leaned over and tenderly kissed her cheek. With a giggle, she said, "I'm fine, Quatre, no need to worry."

"I can't help it, I couldn't live with myself if something ever happened to you."

"I know. . ." She cradled his cheek in her hand and he sighed, gently setting his head on her shoulder as he whispered, "I doubted the thought of even bringing you along but. . .after what happened with Asuka. . ."

"I know, Quatre. . .believe me, I do. I worry about you every day when you're not in my sight. . ."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" Quatre waved her off, rising and stepping over to the bed to sit. As he sat down, he felt something touch his knee and looked up into his wife's eyes as the sparkled. Resting a hand on his chest, she said softly, "Your heart keeps mine beating, even faster when you're in trouble. I can't stop it, neither can you, that's just how it is. You and I are one now, nothing can change that. . ."

"Sayla. . .I. . ." Quatre's eyes looked longingly into hers as she put her finger to his lips.

"Don't speak. . .just kiss me." She said with a smile. Leaning forward, he took her lips with his, holding her head between his hands as he let the depth of it sink in. Just as she reached for him, he pulled away, looking nervously at her full stomach.

"The baby. . .we can't. . ." Quatre whispered, looking frightened by future thoughts.

"Quatre, it'll be fine." Sayla insisted, inching toward him.

"No, I can't. . .it's too risky, Sayla!" Quickly, he snaked away from her and leapt for the door.

"Quatre?" Sayla turned, staring at him pleadingly.

"I'm sorry." He said, blinking back tears as he fled through the door, walking swiftly down the hallway.

__

Curses! I'm a grown man, why am I crying! Why do I always get so emotional about things! This is so embarrassing. . .I wish I was as strong as the other, at least they don't break down cause they're not getting any. I never get the chance to be strong, something always goes wrong or someone dies. . .my heart can't take this. . .Feeling his knees giving, he sat down on the bottom step of the stairs, hunching over and resting his head in his hands.

"Quatre?" Trowa walked up to him, still looking depressed.

"Trowa, how are you doing?" Quatre put on a smile as he raised his head, slightly surprised.

"As bad as you." He sat down next to Quatre, leaning on his knees as he stared at the floor.

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked innocently.

"I'm miserable, as are you. You can't tell me you're not when you're crying." Trowa touched the side of his hand to Quatre's wet cheek. Blushing indignantly, he turned his face away, fiercely wiping at the tears.

"Blast it all, I hate it!" Quatre growled, glaring at the banister.

"Hate what?" Trowa blinked, startled by the aggression his tender-hearted friend was displaying.

"My pathetic heart, my weak emotions. . .I'm always crying over every little thing instead of being strong like everyone else! I'm a grown man, for goodness sake!"

"Quatre. . .think about it, right now you'd be only 18. . .if you hadn't been forced to mature faster, you'd be barely an adult. And I doubt you'd be married. . .let alone have a kid on the way. Just remember that you're not alone, you have all of us to talk to and help you through this."

"I feel like you're the only one who can understand how I feel. . ."

"You have a wife, I can't even find a woman who understands me. . ."

"No offense, Trowa, but it might help if you actually let someone get close to you? They don't have built in psychic powers like you and I." Quatre said with a sarcastic expression.

"I don't mean to. . .I just never find a reason to trust them. . ." Trowa sighed.

"What about this Hope you've been seeing? From what I've heard she's a really nice girl."

"I'm not seeing her, she just. . .babysat for me. . ." Trowa looked away.

"Trowa, I don't want to pry into your private life, that's your own affair. But I would like to give you this piece of advice: If something is worth chasing after, go for it. Don't let past experiences scare you out of making a better future for yourself, grab hold or it may slip through your fingers, never to return again. Listen to me, I don't like seeing you so sad all the time, it makes me feel sad for you and I know you don't want that."

"So. . .you want me to get a girlfriend because it makes you feel bad?"

"No, that's not what I meant! Stop trying to find excuses to get out of a commitment, you're only hurting yourself in the process! You know you can't be a mother and a father to Precious, and you shouldn't make her live without a woman in her life."

"She's. . .not. . ." Trowa whispered. Blinking, Quatre stared at him for a minute, getting his attention as Trowa said in annoyance, "What?"

"You. . .still like Rachel, don't you?" Quatre said quietly. Trowa's eyes widened and he said defensively, "I do not! That wasn't my fault, it was her stupid powers that made me act that way!"

"Then. . .what is it?"

"I. . ." Trowa looked away, his face brightening with shades of red as he fumbled with the cuffs of his shirt.

"Trowa, you can talk to me, you know I wouldn't tell anyone about this. . .don't you?" Quatre leaned toward Trowa, resting his hand on his back in concern.

"Of course. . .you're the only person I trust. . ." Trowa whispered, staring at the floor sadly.

"Really? You don't even trust your daughter?" Quatre blinked.

"She's too young to know about my problems, and she shouldn't have to worry about me anyway. . ."

"True. . .Trowa, why don't you try talking to someone else sometime? And not Rachel or Catherine, I know you trust them most of all. Try branching out, making more friends."

"But I. . ." Trowa looked up.

"Don't be scared! We became friends, after all! And we didn't know each other very long before you started trusting me with your secrets and feelings."

"But that's different, you're. . .not a woman." Trowa fretted.

"I kind of noticed. I did look girly when I was younger, though." Quatre laughed. Trowa let out a soft chuckle, saying, "You were just. . .pretty, for a boy."

"Pretty? I had fair skin, soft blonde hair, big blue-green eyes, a gentle voice. . .wait, most of that's still true. . ." He said, musing about his appearance.

"Except the voice part. . .it's still gentle but not a boy's voice. . ." Trowa said, staring into Quatre's eyes. Blinking, Quatre blushed and looked away, pulling his knees up to his chest and hugging them.

"Sometimes. . .I feel like I'm still just a boy. . .or wish I was. . ." Quatre whispered, staring blankly at the front door. Trowa watched him for a minute before putting his arms around him and hugging him, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Quatre. . .you haven't changed much. . .don't be in a rush to. . ." Trowa said quietly, closing his eyes.

__

Trowa's. . .hugging me? This is new. . .Quatre thought, staring at the mass of brown hair laying on his arm as he said, "Uh. . .Trowa?" There came no response as he noticed a soft breathing sound coming from his friend. With a sigh, he thought to himself, _Gah, he fell asleep! I guess my lectures are still good for something. . ._


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters. I also don't own the song "Bring me to life" by Evanescence, which has aided in many of the dramatic scenes of my stories by setting the mood. . . I do, however, own "Propylon", which I won't tell you what it is yet or else I'll spoil the surprise! . evil laugh

Chapter 11

"Hmm? Where'd she go?" Michael muttered as he walked into his cabin, finding the floor absent of a body. Looking around, he noticed a cleaner sparkle to the room, which somewhat startled him.

__

Did she clean my house? Michael wondered, his eyes widening as he roamed toward his kitchen. Pushing open the door, he found the culprit.

"What. . .are you doing?" Michael said, his eyes locked onto the woman going through his refrigerator.

"Oh, you're back! Yay, and you brought food! Gimme!" Rachel jumped up and ran over to him, quickly grabbing the bags of groceries out of his arms. He barely had time to complain when she whipped out the edibles, commenting along the way.

"Hey. . ." He hesitantly stepped toward her, a little confused by how she was acting.

"Where's your pots and pans, maybe I can make a worthwhile meal out of these TV dinners. Do you have any spices?" She rattled off questions as she bustled around the small kitchen.

"You haven't found them yet? Seems you've searched this place pretty thoroughly. . ." He grumbled as she looked through drawers searching out the items she needed.

"Nope, I was just starting on the kitchen when you came back, haven't been awake long. A little help here?" She said, not turning to him as she stretched to see into the top cabinets. He frowned and stalked across the floor to her, grabbing her arm as she reached up to open another cabinet door. Startled, she stared at him, saying, "If. . .you want to cook. . .that's okay too. . ." Although he was frowning, he didn't look mad, he looked almost sad. Slowly, he let her go, turning away and muttering, "Do as you wish, I'm not hungry." He quickly walked out of the kitchen and disappeared somewhere else in the cabin. She just stared at the door for a while, wondering what his problem was. After preparing dinner, she wandered into the living room with a plate of food, looking for Michael. A soft tune floated through the cabin, catching Rachel's attention as she followed it to the bedroom door.

"♪How can you see into my eyes like open doors? Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb. Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold until you find it there and lead it back home. ♪"

__

I know this song. . .Rachel thought, listening to the singing.

"♪Wake me up inside, wake me up inside, call my name and save me from the dark. Bid my blood to run, before I come undone. Save me from the nothing I've become.♪"

"Is that what you really want?" Rachel whispered at the door. The singing stopped, followed by the creek of the door as Michael stared wide-eyed at her.

"Were you eavesdropping on me?" Michael hissed.

"No, I was just coming to see if you were interested in some food, it's still a little hot." She said quietly, offering a plate of the dinner she made. He looked down at it, surprised by how different it looked from the TV dinners he had bought.

"Oh. . ." He slowly took the plate, the aroma drifting up from it teasing his hungry stomach. Turning away, Rachel paused briefly to say, "All your songs, they're so. . .sad. . .lonely. . .desperate. You're only alone. . .because you chose to be, you know." With that, she walked back to the kitchen to get herself a plate of food.

__

Why. . .did she say that? What does she care? Michael thought, caught off guard by the concern she showed for him. His stomach complained to him as the smell of the meal in his hands became too much to stand. Turning, he closed the door.

"Hello, hello, do come in! I've been expecting you, Ms. Noin. I believe you'll find everything's in order?" An old man welcomed her in, waving her into an entranceway. She nodded to him, quietly following him down the empty corridor, their footsteps echoing off the white walls. They reached a door at the far end, the man pulling open a small panel on the wall next to it. Removing a chain from around his neck, he fiddled with the key hanging from it and stuck it into a slot in the panel. With a moan, the old metal door slowly eased open, sliding away into a hidden hole in the wall. Motioning, the man stepped into the next room, waving his hands up as he said, "Here she is! The Propylon of the future." Slightly in awe, Noin responded, "Indeed. . .is she ready?"

"Whenever you are."

"Good." Noin smiled.

"YAWN Goooood mornin'!" Duo stretched as he entered the foyer, finding a few of the guests lulling about in a sleepy state.

"Why are you so cheerful?" Chang asked, glaring at the smiling man.

"Hey, don't pick on me cause you're not a morning person! Where's Trowa at?" Duo glanced over in Quatre's direction. Looking up from his tea, he said, "Oh, he's in his room sleeping, he didn't get to bed until very late last night."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Something like that. . ."

"Hey, where's your better half at? Is she still asleep too?"

"She's. . .not feeling well, you know, pregnancy stuff." Quatre looked down at his tea and slowly took a sip.

"Ah. . ." Duo sensed a desire for silence and made his way toward the kitchen to get some breakfast. Heero walked into the foyer, soon followed by his wife who floated over to Quatre and said hello.

"What took you so long getting up this morning, Yuy?" Chang eyed him, his eyebrow cocked.

"I was up, just busy in my office with some paperwork." Heero said, looking fully awake, unlike the others.

"Right. . .paperwork. . .like that work you had last night. . ." Duo commented as he walked back into the room. Heero glared at him and muttered something but no one quite understood what he said as he took a seat on the love seat. Duo sat down in a chair by the coffee table and set his plate of food down, relaxing as he drank his glass of orange juice.

"So do we have any plans for today? I don't like sitting around when I could be doing something to stop this." Chang commented, staring at Heero in expectance.

"Well, I had made plans for another meeting to discuss this new information on the enemy, devise a strategy to take their operation out and-" A sudden clatter of silverware on the floor caused everyone to stare at Duo in confusion. His eyes were wide as possible, making him look like he had just seen a ghost.

"Duo?" Relena tilted her head, noticing the far off look on his face.

". . .Rachel. . .?" Duo muttered, his eyes fluttering as he fell out of his seat, hitting his head on the table as he crashed to the floor.

"Duo!" Quatre jumped up, running over to his friend's aid.

"What on earth-" Chang stood, staring at the shivering form on the rug. Quatre lifted Duo's head, looking into his pain stricken expression as he exclaimed, "Duo! Duo, what's wrong?"

"No, get away, help me! DUO!" Duo screamed; the whole room sinking into a stunned silence.

"What were you doing out here! TELL ME!" Michael screamed as he wrestled with Rachel to hold her still.

"I was just getting some fresh air, I wasn't running away!" Rachel exclaimed, struggling to get free.

"Who were you calling! Duo, who's that!" Michael pulled her against himself and she stopped fighting, staring up into his fierce green eyes, feeling her knees giving under the glare.

"M-my. . .boyfriend. . .I thought I heard him. . ." Rachel said, her eyes beginning to shake with tears. She tilted her head down, resting against his shirt as she shook, trying to keep from crying. Michael loosened his grip, stepping back, a little caught off guard by her tears.

"Is he. . .like you. . .with the powers?" Michael asked, trying not to sound like he was caving to her emotions.

". . .Yes. . ." Rachel muttered, slowly reaching up to wipe away the hot salty rivers streaming down her face, "He was there. . .I felt him. . .somewhere. . .he's so scared, something's not right. . ."

"He's worried about you, no doubt. . .inside, now." Michael scoffed at her and stalked toward the cabin.

"No. . .it's someone else. . .I'm not the only one. . ." Rachel said, falling to her knees as she shuttered at the thought of who else had been caught. Glancing back, Michael began to wonder about his situation.

__

She's truly heartbroken. . .no one could fake tears like that, and I've seen my fair share of actresses. Maybe. . .something else really is going on. . .I've been out here so long. . . Turning, Michael walked off toward the cabin with Rachel close behind him slowly following.

"What just happened?" Heero asked after they put Duo back in his bed. Closing his door quietly, Quatre said softly, "I'm not quite sure. . .he was starting to sound like someone was talking through him. He muttered Rachel's name before he went into that possessed state, perhaps she had found some way of speaking to us."

"Someone has her captive, she was most likely trying to run but got caught and tried to call for help. But where is she? Did he give any indication?"

"No, he passed out too quickly for me to ask any questions, that bump on his head might have something to do with it but. . .maybe. . ."

"Is she with the others or is there someone else out there stirring up trouble? It didn't seem like she was taken the way the others were, she would have done something to stop her kidnapping or at least warned Duo. She was taken quickly and without much warning, there's only one possibility. . ."

"What's that?"

"There's someone else out there like us. . ." Quatre stopped in his tracks, staring at Heero as he said, "Heero, you're not serious! Why would Rachel give anyone else powers?"

"Maybe it wasn't on purpose, besides this is mere speculation. . .I wouldn't have thought that she was so easy to capture. Last time when OZ caught her, she at least called out for help."

"That is true. . .maybe she's not really kidnapped, perhaps she's just hiding out?"

"Wishful thinking. . .when Duo wakes up, we need to ask him some questions. Meanwhile, we have a meeting to attend." Heero walked into the foyer, announcing the meeting.

"Duo. . ." Rachel whispered, scrunched up on the couch as she stared into the distance, still mulling over the voice in her head earlier.

__

I heard him, I know it wasn't my imagination. There must be a certain distance from Michael where I can use my powers; how far from him was I? 100 feet perhaps? It wasn't that far. . .but I was outside of this cabin. . .maybe if I could just get back out there I could teleport away and put up a shield to keep him away. . .just being with Duo is enough, he could protect me from him. I just need the right timing. . .

"Rachel. . ." Looking up, she saw Michael standing next to her, looking down sadly. Blinking, Rachel said, "Y-yes?" He sat down next to her, his head bowed in contemplation as he said quietly, "What exactly. . .did you mean when you said my songs were. . .lonely. . ." She stared at him, thinking, _He's finally giving in. . .I would have expected him to be harder. . ._ He looked up into her eyes, touching her cheek with his gloved hand as he said, "I don't. . .like being alone. . .but I can't help it, I can't do anything about it. . .not like this."

"Michael, I. . ." She felt sorry for him, her heart pounding as she sensed his torment. She leaned over, resting against his chest and surprising him as she said, "If you let me go back. . .I'll help you, I promise. But I need to return, it's getting pretty bad out there and I don't know who's missing now. . .your sister could even be in danger. Michael. . .will you please help me?" His eyes were wide as his heart pounded in his chest, slowly causing his arms to slip over Rachel and hold her tightly. Tilting his head down, he said, "I. . .I'll help you. . .for my sister. . ." Suddenly, Rachel sat up, staring into his eyes happily.

"Are you serious? Oh, thank you, Michael!" As quickly as she sat up, she wrapped her arms around his waist, grabbing him in a warm hug. He gulped, not used to such displays of affection as he eased his arms down to rest on her back. They sat for a while like that in quiet before Rachel got up and began insisting on their immediate departure to the Sanc Capitol.

"Mike!" Stacy ran to her old friend, tackling him in a hug. He blinked, surprised that she was there.

"Hey Mike, who's the chick?" Mike said, lowering his shades so he could get a better look at the girl hugging his comrade. Mike smiled and Stacy leaned back, saying with a smile, "We're old friends. I haven't seen you since you went off to join the peace movement! How are you?" He shrugged and she dragged him off to catch up.

"Awe. . .look, he does have a girlfriend!" Chris said with a dorky smile on his face, wiping an invisible tear from his eye.

"They're just friends. . .not sure he'd have the guts to ask her out if it was anything more. . .he's so quiet. . ." Mike muttered, watching the girl go on about things that had happened in her life.

"Kinda like you?" Dexter elbowed Mike with a wink. Mike frowned and they all watched as Mike actually opened his mouth and responded to Stacy's questions.

"Woah. . .he's talking! Hey, what's her secret? I can never get him to talk!" Mike said, crossing his arms over his chest as he scowled at the two talking on and on.

"Guess he doesn't like you." Mike said quietly, glancing at Mike who glared back, about to punch him.

"Boys, chill out, the boss' sis is here." Chris whispered, poking the feuding Mikes as Relena walked into the lobby to greet the guests.

"Hello, I assume you're my brother's men. . ." Relena addressed Chris. He bowed, taking her hand and kissing it as he said, "We are, special lady." Relena smiled.

"I'd remove your lips from my wife's hand, if you want to keep them." Heero said as he walked in behind her. Chris stood up and said, scratching his head, "It was merely a sign of respect, sir."

"Hmm." Heero grunted, keeping a sharp eye on Chris for the remainder of the visit.

"Everyone's in the board room, if you'll come with me. . ." Relena led the men down the hall to the room holding the members of the Sanc Council, showing them to some spare seats placed around the long table. She took her place at the head of the table, clearing her throat as she said, "Now that our informants have arrived, we can continue with business. You two say you know the enemy?" Relena looked in Mike and Stacy's direction, signaling them to speak.

"Well yes, it was Chris who kidnapped Mrs. Wufei; he didn't speak to me but I could never forget his face." Stacy said, bowing her head sadly.

"And that virus you ran into, are you positive it was him as well?" Milliardo asked. Mike nodded, glancing at Mike who still looked perturbed about it.

"Well then, we have photographic I.D. on him, we can keep on the lookout for him if he ever turns up again."

"I don't think he would be just wandering around, Chris is smarter than that. . ." Stacy commented. Everyone looked at her suspiciously and she added, "Well. . .he played a lot of strategy games when we were younger. . ."

"Uh huh. . .so why don't we set a trap and see if they bite?" Chang suggested.

"A trap? Like. . .put a blowup Quatre in some park and wait for someone to grab it?" Duo seemed less than enthusiastic.

"It's too risky, we can't let them have the chance of kidnapping anyone else. Besides, they seem set on capturing the women in the group. . .and the only ones left and Relena and Noin." Heero said, not thrilled with the idea.

"Speaking of which, where is Noin?" Quatre asked.

"She said she had an old friend to meet up with. I never ask, cause she won't tell me. . ." Milliardo said, feeling a sigh almost come out.

"Aren't you the slightest bit worried?" Dexter wondered.

"She's an ex-lieutenant of OZ, she's not that easy to capture." Milliardo commented.

"And what of Asuka? She killed OZ officers, and yet she was taken down. Don't think your woman is any different." Chang sounded insulted by the remark.

"Let's settle down, gentlemen, and stick to more pressing concerns. Now-" Relena tried to calm the argument between the two men but things only proceeded to get worse. As soon as they had contained their feud, Stacy let out a cry as two figures faded into the back of the room out of nowhere. Jumping to his feet, Quatre exclaimed, "RACHEL!" Everyone seemed to stand at once, startled by the presence of their missing friend and the mysterious man next to her.

"Who's he?" Chang said, staring at Michael with a suspicious eye. Milliardo reached for his pistol holster but Rachel raised her hand, saying, "No, please, don't be alarmed. This is Michael, he is an ally of ours now."

"Where have you been?" Heero asked, still not sure of Michael.

"Well. . ." She glanced at Michael who was staring at Quatre, his eyes slightly wider than usual. She tilted her head, whispering, "Michael?"

__

It's him. . .no, I can't be here. . .he'll remember me. . .Michael thought, backing toward the door.

"Hey?" Rachel reached for his arm but he grabbed her first, pulling her out the door with him.

"Rachel!" Relena called out as the room grew tense, wondering if they should follow. As Michael charged toward the front door, Rachel resisted, saying, "Michael, what is your problem? Hey, stop! I thought we had a de-"

"No deal! You can stay here but I'll be back for you later, don't try to run away." Michael said. He let go but Rachel held on, pulling him back and slapping him.

"GAH!" She recoiled her hand, forgetting about his skin contact response. Stepping back, she winced as her head spun for a second. He rubbed his cheek spitefully, muttering, "Idiot. . .it's your own fault. . ."

"Why are you running away? What's wrong?" Rachel asked, looking confused.

"I'm not running away! Leave me alone!" He turned, starting for the door.

"I thought you didn't want to be alone. . ." She whispered. He halted, caught by her words.

"Rachel?" Whipping her head around, Rachel saw Duo standing in the hallway, looking unsteady and half-asleep as he gazed at her and the man by the door.

"Duo. . ." Rachel said, her eyes sparkling with joy as she started toward him but looked back at Michael who was still facing the door.

__

Michael. . .


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I'm tired of making disclaimers. . .you all know I don't own the show or whatever so I'm just gonna disclaim when I put something in I haven't commented on before like a song or something. . .okay, I'm lazy. There! I said it. . .

Chapter 12

"Where. . .where have you been?" Duo asked, slowly walking over to her.

"With him. . .it's a long story." Rachel said, staring at Michael's back.

"Rachel. . .Rachel!" Quatre came running out to the lobby with Chang behind him. Michael reached for the doorknob suddenly, starting to pull the door open. Running to him, Rachel grabbed his hand, saying, "No, Michael, don't go!"

"Let go! You know I don't need the door to leave!" Michael growled, trying to throw her off. She held onto his hand as he let go of the doorknob, pulling away from her.

"Wait, please don't go yet, what about your sister!" She exclaimed.

"Shutup! Let me. . .GO!" yanking free, Rachel went flying back with his glove in her hand, hitting the floor hard.

"RACHEL! Why you son of a-" Duo raised his hand to him and glared into his eyes, but nothing happened, causing Duo's eyes to widen.

"Duo, what is it?" Chang said, curious as to why he was putting his hand in his face and doing nothing.

"My. . .powers aren't working. . ." Duo muttered, staring at the nervous looking man backing toward the wall.

"What?" Chang stared at him as well.

"They won't work. . .no matter how hard you try." Rachel whispered as she got up.

"What are you talking about, have they gone away or something?" Duo blinked, looking at his hand.

"No. . .it's not you, it's him. And. . .it's my fault. . ." Everyone stared at her in surprise, all except Michael who was inching toward the door still.

"What?" Chang exclaimed.

"So I was right. . .amazing. . ." Heero walked up behind them, eyeing Michael curiously.

"How did you know, Heero?" Quatre asked, remembering their conversation earlier. Shrugging, Heero said, "So how did he get powers?"

"It was an accident. . .look, it's hard to explain everything but right now we need to just-"

"Hey, where'd he go?" Duo said suddenly. They all turned and stared at the door, blinking in surprise.

"He just. . .vanished." Chang said.

"Who. . .was that?" Everyone turned to the hallway and saw Trowa staring at the place where Michael once was.

"Trowa!" Rachel said, staring at the emotionally drained man barely standing on his own.

"He. . .he looked like. . .Alyssa. . ." Trowa looked over at Rachel who seemed shocked that he recognized his face so quickly.

"Trowa. . .he. . .he's Alyssa's brother. . ." Rachel said, clutching the glove to her chest as a look of shock crossed Trowa's face.

"No. . .no, he can't have Precious, I won't give her up." Trowa whispered, running back down the hall to his room.

"Trowa!"

"So, Ms. Noin, what do you think of her? Do you approve?" The man asked, watching as Noin jumped down from the boarding platform.

"She's amazing, drives like a dream. I haven't piloted a mobile suit that flew so fast and smoothly, you've outdone yourself this time, Doctor J." Noin said, sounding breathless.

"Then you'll be wanting more?" The old man watched her through his robotic eyes, seeming pleased by her response.

"I'd like to take the prototype and the blue prints back to Preventors HQ, and you also, since you're the brains behind the invention." Noin said, glancing at him as she pulled the Velcro apart on her gloves to remove them.

"I'm flattered but I must decline, I have. . .other projects to work on."

"If you insist, then I'll be going."

"Oh, Ms. Noin?" Doctor J called out.

"Yes?" She turned back for a second.

"How is my little pilot doing?" With a grin, Noin said, "He's not so little anymore, and he's married. . ."

"Ah. . .he's finally lived down all that training. . .I'm happy for him."

"Yes. . .so am I." Noin nodded to the man and walked away, exiting the warehouse as he slowly followed, thinking, _No more missions to the death, I suppose. . .you've got something to live for now. . .keep her safe, Heero._

"So, what's our next move? We've got three hostages as of yet. . .HAAA!" Chris said, swinging his sword to block Sara's attack. Clashing and quickly withdrawing to circle one another, they danced in opposite directions to wait for a moment of attack.

"Now it's time to let them know the terms of our agreement. Since they know who we are by now. . ." Raising her sword to her shoulder, she lunged at Chris, who rolled away and brought his sword around to slash her back. Quickly, she pulled out a dagger and blocked the shot, throwing off his blade as he stepped back a few paces. Her chest heaving from the practice, she faced him, her sword ready to defend at any moment as she continued where she left off, ". . .we must take the defensive and wait for them to make their move!" Chris advanced, bringing his sword down multiple times as Sara blocked every shot, backing up several feet before standing her ground.

"Right, but what if they try to use their special abilities? We can't stop them that way, they're ruin everything." Dodging her swing, Chris brought his sword around to defend his flanks and knock her blade away. They faced off again as Sara said, "I have a plan to keep them out of the picture. One of my eyes has been roaming around in this small town where we got word there were able men willing to join our cause, but he saw something quite surprising in a local grocery."

"What's that?" Chris asked, taking the chance to catch his breath while she talked.

"Do you recall the demise of the late Treize Khushrenada?"

"Of course, he died of a sudden heart attack, or at least that's what the press released as his cause of death."

"Never trust the news, Chris. He was murdered by one of the people we're fighting against; no one's sure whom. Everyone who was at the Victoria Base when it happened evacuated immediately following the tragedy, all except one officer that was unaccounted for."

"Oh? How mysterious. . ."

"Rumors spread that he was seen in several places after that, followed by a disaster every time and the cause of many people's lapses into comas."

"Interesting. . .so you think he's got some powers as well?"

"We'll find out soon enough, now won't we. . ."

"He's being brought in?"

"No. . .but once we have a little meeting with him, he'll decide it's for the best. . ." Sara grinned.

"You're so evil. . ." Chris said slyly.

"Why, thank you. Now. . .are you going to attack me or just play with your sword! GRAAAH!" Sara quickly advanced and clashed swords with Chris again.

"Trowa? Can I come in?" Quatre knocked on his friend's door. He got no response and decided to just go in anyway. Peeking in, he saw Trowa laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Stepping in, Quatre closed the door and said, "Trowa. . ."

"Sorry about earlier. . .my head's kinda mixed up right now." Trowa muttered, keeping his eyes on the ceiling.

"I can imagine. . ."Quatre walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge and leaning back, staring at Trowa intently. Trowa looked over at him, saying, "Was that really. . .Alyssa's brother?"

"I guess so. . .it's just as much a surprise to us as it is to you. . .none of us knew."

"Why was he here?"

"I don't know, Rachel said he was an ally. . .he ran off when he looked at me though, I don't know what was wrong."

"Really. . .didn't think you were that intimidating. . ." Trowa turned his head back, closing his eyes.

"I didn't either. Come to think of it. . .he did look like a face I've seen before. . .perhaps from back in the war. . ." Quatre mused, looking up lazily.

"I've seen so many faces, you'd think they'd all look the same by now. . ." Trowa moaned, folding his hands over his stomach.

"Yeah. . .I don't understand why we can't just solve this problem already. . .it's beginning to cost too much. . ." Quatre sighed, feeling the weight of the situation setting in.

"We're waiting for their next move, it's their turn."

"Huh?"

"It's like a game. . ."

"But most games, you take turns. . ."

"True. . .this was all their first move: the stolen money, the kidnapping. . ."

"So when is it our move?"

"When they hit the timer." Quatre blinked, not sure what he meant. A knock came on the door and Quatre hollered, "Come in!"

"Hey guys. . ." Duo stepped in, looking a little more awake than before.

"What is it?"

"Heero just got an email. . .it's from them." Duo said, his face full of concern.

"There's the timer. . ." Trowa muttered. As the two men followed Duo down the hall, Duo glanced at Quatre curiously, wondering what they were talking about before he interrupted. Quatre ignored his stare. Entering Heero's office, they found a few of the other guests present.

"What's this about an email? What did they say?" Quatre asked, staring at Heero. Turning to him, Heero said, "They've stated their hold on Asuka, Precious, and her escort-Hope, no doubt. A terms of agreement has been set and we've been given 24 hours to decide before they kill their hostages."

"What are the terms?" Trowa asked.

"Basically to give over the power Relena holds so they can take over the world and bring havoc to everyone's lives again." Duo commented snidely.

"Why don't we just go in there and take them back?" Noin wondered.

"They say they have a trump card waiting in case we try anything, I don't know what that could possibly be but I'm not sure it's worth risking their lives for." Heero said plainly.

"So what do we do, we obviously can't let them have their way. . .nor can we let them rule!" Chang said, sounding aggravated by this change in events.

"Ugh, this is so annoying. . .why do people keep trying to ruin everything!" Duo said, looking ready to hit something, balling up his fists as a growl came out of him. Rachel touched his shoulder and said, "There's no need to worry, good always comes out victorious. . ."

"But what do you think they meant by 'trump card'? What could they have that could stop us?" Noin pondered curiously. Rachel blinked and said, "They. . .they couldn't know. . ."

"What is it, Rachel?" Relena turned to her.

"Michael. . .he has the ability to block our powers within a certain distance and drain our life force through physical contact. . .could he. . .no, he never gave any indication. . ." Rachel mumbled to herself before turning to go.

"Wait, where are you going!" Duo grabbed her arm, feeling his heart skip a beat at the thought of her being out of sight again.

"I have to find Michael, before they do!" She said, disappearing and leaving Duo grasping air.

"No, come back!" Duo shouted futilely.

"I can't go back there. . .he's there. . .I didn't expect to ever see him again. . ." Michael mumbled to himself as he shuffled around his room trying to find things to do.

__

Stupid woman, cleans my home and leaves me with nothing to fix! Michael grumbled in his thoughts as he sorted through some papers he had left on his desk. As he stuffed the papers in a drawer, a knock echoed through the house and caught his attention.

"A visitor?" Michael whispered in surprise as he quietly pulled out a gun and made his way to the door. As he inched toward the solid oak door, he heard a discussion on the other side, drawing in his curiosity.

"Perhaps he's out for an evening stroll. . ." a female voice muttered sarcastically.

"Then go check out the woods if you have such suspicions. . ." A male voice remarked snidely.

__

Don't sound like they like each other. . .Peeking through the peephole, he saw the figures standing on his porch and didn't recognize either of them, a little wary by their mode of dress: All black. Tucking his gun in the back of his pants, he unlocked the door and pulled it open, staring out at the visitors casually.

"May I help you?" Michael asked, looking calm as he occasionally scanned the horizon.

"Yes, we're looking for a Michael Chamberlin." The girl said, looking at a clipboard, seeming to give a professional air.

"Sorry, don't know him. . .you must have the wrong address." He lied.

"Really. . .too bad, we had a cushy job for him, great salary and fringe benefits. . .you sure you haven't heard of him?" The man asked, seeming to be on to Michael's game.

"Nope, doesn't ring a bell."

"Well maybe this will help." Suddenly, he pulled out a gun, pointing it at his chest. Michael stared at it curiously and said, "Was I suppose to say otherwise?"

"We tried to be nice but you leave us with no choice. Either you come with us willingly or we take you by force; it would be more fun if you put up a fight but the boss wouldn't like that." The man grinned. Michael eyed them, saying, "Why do you think that I'm this guy you're after? Can't someone live out in the woods alone without being mistaken for some bum? The whole point of living here was to be away from people. . ."

"Sorry, but orders are orders, and this would happen to be you. . ." the woman showed him a picture of himself in an OZ uniform.

__

That picture makes me look fat. . .I never liked their uniforms. . .Michael thought as he scoffed at the photo.

"What's so funny?" The man seemed disturbed by his reaction.

"Nothing. . .that's a nice picture but it looks nothing like me. . .I think you should leave now." Michael said, his voice slowly dropping to a low and threatening tone. The man cocked the gun up menacingly, squinting his eyes as he said, "Is that a threat? Who do you think you're messing with?"

"I could say the same for you." Michael said blatantly. With a growl, the man hollered over his shoulder and the forest exploded with bodies quickly closing in on their location with weapons drawn. Michael shifted uneasily in the doorway.

"Now. . .what were you saying?" The man said, glaring at him.

"I was just going to get my keys and follow you. . ." Michael said, a hint of anger in his voice as he scooped up his keys and stepped out, following the 20 men escort down the dirt trail away from his cabin.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: HA! You thought I was gonna say "I don't own Gundam Wing" again, didn't you! I showed you, AHAHA! Wait. . .I did just say it. . .curses! smacks herself

Chapter 13

"I can't stand this anymore, I'm going after them!" Chang burst out as Heero and Milliardo were discussing a plan of attack. Everyone stared at him in surprise, it wasn't like him to be impatient. As Chang stalked toward the door, Trowa jumped forward, grabbing his arm.

"Wufei, stop!" Trowa exclaimed in a calm tone. Pulling free, Chang reeled around to stare down the crowd.

"No! All you do is talk when our loved ones could be in grave danger! You're all cowards and I won't stay here while they die!" Chang shouted, turning to leave.

"Wufei." Heero stood, facing his friend's back. Chang paused, his fists clenched at his sides as he seethed with anger. Holding in a sigh, Heero said calmly, "We can't rush in without our heads about us, you'll only be bringing on their deaths yourself by your actions. Be logical, not foolish."

"You're one to talk, you still have what is precious to you by your side! You don't have to worry, but I do!"

"They are still my friends, I care about them as well." Heero frowned indignantly.

"Not as I do." Chang hissed. With that, he whipped around and ran for the door.

"Wufei, don't make me stop you." Heero called out.

"Just try!" He yelled back. With that, he promptly fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious.

"Heero, no!" Relena exclaimed, running over to Chang and kneeling at his side.

"I can't allow him to run in and ruin everything with his rash behavior, Relena. . .it's for the best." Heero said casually.

"Who are you to judge what's best? You need to stop taking control of everything like we're a bunch of ignorant fools!" Rachel exclaimed suddenly. Duo blinked at her and said, "Rachel, what-"

"Heero has been using his powers for unnecessary purposes." Rachel growled, staring at Heero as he glared back at her.

"Heero. . .we made a pact. . ." Relena said, staring at him in shame.

"I only acted on what I felt was necessary, why are you taking this out of proportion?" Heero became defensive.

"It doesn't matter, we could have handled him on our own without taking these steps! I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from your powers or lose them permanently." Relena stated, standing up.

"Relena. . ." Heero's eyes widened in surprise.

"How can you do that?" Duo asked curiously.

"I can't. . .but Rachel can." Everyone stared at Rachel.

"Only assuming so because she gave them to us, perhaps she can't. . ." Trowa commented.

"Then she'll try if she is forced to by people's actions." Relena said, glancing over at Heero who was feeling betrayed.

"How. . .how could you, Relena. . ." Heero muttered.

"How could I what? Try to bring order to this sad excuse of a council! How could you take over the authority that is mine!"

"If you would use it, I wouldn't have to."

"If you'd give me a chance!"

"Stop this!" Quatre stepped in abruptly, "Stop this right now! You two shouldn't be fighting about this! Can't you see that we're wasting precious time arguing while people could be dying! Where are your heads!" Heero turned away, saying, "I'm choosing to step back from this, since my aid is not needed, I have other things to tend to."

"Heero, what is your problem! Why are you being such a jerk all of a sudden!" Duo shouted, getting annoyed by his friend's comments.

"My assistance is unnecessary, why should I ruin everyone's chance of rescuing their loved ones when mine is still here. . .I have no right to tempt fate with their lives." He started to leave the room and everyone seemed utterly confused by his reaction.

"Hee-" Rachel started but he vanished.

"He did it again!" Duo exclaimed in exhaustion. Rachel backed away from the crowd as they began to get riled by the situation, quickly using her powers to hunt Heero down. She teleported to his location and found herself in the dark. Blinking, she tried to adjust to the low light but found it nearly impossible. Up ahead of her she saw a dim light flittering against the black void, slowly growing smaller as it moved away from her position.

__

That must be Heero. . .but where is he going? Rachel thought as she levitated, silently following him through the darkness. As she closed in on him, she saw him jump up into a hole in the ceiling, disappearing with the light.

__

Dang. . .what is he up to! She thought as she floated into the hole after him. Down the dark tunnel, she came out into a vast cave lit dimly by lights strung along the walls. Her eyes widened at the sight before her. A giant shuttlecraft sat dormant in the center of the cave, the light barely showing its metal skin. Blinking, she spotted Heero entering the ship and quickly hurried to follow him. Phasing through the hull, she peeked into the ship's inside and saw Heero sitting at a console in the main deck, clicking away on the keys before him. She quietly came up behind him, peering over his shoulder at what he was doing. Suddenly, Heero stopped in mid-type and paused before turning to face Rachel in surprise.

"Rachel! You followed me!" Heero exclaimed, staring at her. As she landed on the floor, she said, "No duh. What is this thing? And why is it here?"

"You shouldn't be here, leave and forget you saw it." Heero said, trying to regain his cool.

"Yeah right! Heero, what are you doing! This is a weapon of some sort, isn't it? You know Relena's banning all production of war devices!"

"It's not a weapon. . .persay. . ." Heero commented, turning halfway back to the control panel.

"But a weapon no less! Heero, why! Don't you have faith in Relena?" Rachel asked.

"I do. . .I don't have faith in this world. . ." Heero looked down at the panel, tracing his finger over the keys as a distraction.

"What do you mean?"

"Relena may hope and believe that they will turn to peace, become wonderful and obedient people that will follow her every command but they aren't. . .this planet has been swallowed by fear and anger far too long to give up on their aggressions this easily. I knew that all along, because I felt it in my own heart. . .I still do, whether I want to or not. . .war is part of who I am and I can't changed that, no matter how much I want to." Heero said, sounding torn over what he said. Rachel softened her approach, stepping toward him as she said, "Heero. . .then how can you marry a pacifist when you'd rather the world still be in turmoil?"

"I don't want it to be!" Heero exclaimed suddenly, hitting the desk with his fist as he grit his teeth. Jumping, Rachel backed up a step in precaution. Bowing his head, Heero said quietly, "I don't want the world to be in ruin. . .it's just how it is. If you let your guard down for one second, they'll turn on you and you won't be ready for them. I trust Relena but I'm not going to be caught off guard by anyone and let them destroy her dream. . ."

"Heero. . .but why hide this?"

"You know Relena would never approve of this, she already proved that by her actions today regarding my abilities. . ." Heero said, sounding upset by what she had said. Rachel began to approach him again, saying, "I'm sorry, it's my fault she acted that way. . ."

"No, I acted out of turn, she's right. . ."

"Heero, listen to me, please. . .I understand why you did what you did, I only said what I did out of anger because of everything else we had discussed that day. Relena's under a lot of stress with this peace treaty and missing persons and pending war, she just felt her power being undermined by the very person she leans on for strength. . ."

"I never meant to, I just. . ."

"I know you meant well, but you need to think about how you make people feel sometimes. . ."

"It's not that easy for me. . ." Heero said, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. With a sigh, she leaned against the panel and rested her hand on it, saying, "I know. . .but that doesn't mean you can't try. Think about how you would feel in their position. Consider this: what would you do if Relena were in the place of Asuka right now? Would you sit around for boundless hours discussing strategies or would you do as Chang did and try to save her on your own?" Heero was silent for a minute as he thought about it.

"I would save her. . .with or without help."

"Exactly. . .you would do the same. So don't blame him for being rash, it's only natural for him to feel this way about the one he loves most."

"I can't just go back now like nothing happened. . .and besides, I can't sit around while others plan this. . ."

"You don't have to let them do it all, your opinion is as needed as everyone else's! You just can't take complete control of the operation, this isn't a dictatorship, it's a republic where everyone has an opinion and a say in what happens. This has affected all of us thus we all should have a say in what's done, we should work together and not let our personal feelings take over our logic. . .remember? 'be logical, not foolish'. You really ought to listen to yourself sometimes, you might learn a thing or two. . ."

"Listen to myself, huh. . .sounds crazy to me. . ."

"Only if what you're saying isn't really worth it, but when you say things you don't even believe yourself then who's to believe you?" Heero looked up at her and nodded in understanding, saying, "You have a good point."

"Exactly! So. . .can we go back and sort out this little misunderstanding?"

"There's still the issue of my powers. . ."

"I know, I'll talk to Relena about that."

"No. . .she's my wife. . .let me talk to her."

"Are you sure?" Heero just stared at her and she shrugged.

"Okay, it's your choice. . .can't make you do something you don't want to. . ." She winked. As she stood, Heero said, "Rachel. . ."

"What?"

"Don't tell anyone about this. . ."

"I won't. . .unless I absolutely have to." He joined her and they teleported back to the capitol building, appearing in the lobby. Quatre was sitting on the stairs looking frustrated for a minute before he noticed their presence and leapt to his feet.

"Heero, Rachel! You-" Quatre started.

"It's alright, Quatre, everything's okay now." Rachel said, walking over to him to distract him while Heero went to find Relena.

"But-"

"Come on, let's find the others and work on our strategy." Rachel dragged Quatre along with her as he led her to the group in the lobby talking amongst themselves. Heero journeyed down the hallway past his office to Relena's where he found her at her computer looking at files intently. She looked up when he knocked on the door and gave him a disgruntled frown, saying, "Whatever it is, keep it to yourself, I've had enough of you for today."

"Relena, please let me explain." Heero pleaded, closing the door behind him as he walked in. She stood abruptly and said, "Why should I! You undermined my authority like I was too stupid to do my job and told me off about it!"

"I know, if you'll let me-"

"No, leave!"

"Relena! Listen to me!" Heero commanded, getting aggressive. Relena blinked in discomfort by his outburst and he softened, saying, "I. . .I don't want us to be fighting over this. . .not now. . .not ever. If we're going to make it together we have to listen to what we have to say. . ."

"I already heard your opinion." Relena crossed her arms.

"No. . .I was upset, I didn't mean what I said. Can I please explain?" Heero said tiresomely. Relena sighed and sat back down, saying, "Go on." Heero walked over to a chair in front of her desk and sat down, leaning forward to begin his defense.

"Let's go on that ride, Hope! It looks like so much fun!"

"If you're father wants to, you know we've dragged him on every single ride so far! I don't think he's enjoying himself. . ."

"I am. . .let's go."

"If you say so. . .come on!" Hope followed Trowa and Precious into the mirror maze, running through with Precious in front of her and Trowa bringing up the rear. They ventured through the hallways of endless reflections, getting more and more lost as they walked. They eventually came to a fork in the path that went in three different directions.

"What do we do, daddy?"

"Should we split up?"

"We'll all come out eventually, why not."

"Okay, I get the left! Weee!"

"I'll go to the right. . .don't get lost, Hope."

"Wait, Trowa! Precious!. . .what if I do get lost?" Hope walked down the center path, cautiously venturing around each mirrored corner as she felt more and more lost as she went along. Finally, she came to a dead end.

"Oh no. . .I guess I'll have to go back and follow one of the other paths. . .maybe someone else got stuck too and I won't have to get out alone." Hope started back the way she had come, walking faster and faster until she was running back. Finally, after going on for what seemed like forever, she stopped to catch her breath.

"What's going on? It wasn't this long before. . .Precious! Trowa! Anybody!" She stood, walking on and running her hands over the walls looking for any form of way out. She turned a corner and gasped, seeing Trowa at the end of the tunnel.

"Trowa!" she ran to him, only to run smack into a wall.

"What? But. . ." She touched the mirror, turning around and finding herself alone. She turned back and the reflection was staring at her, scaring a scream out of her.

"Why are you following me? Get lost!" The wall quickly turned around and the reflection disappeared.

"Trowa, wait! How can I get lost when I already am!" Hope pushed at the wall, trying to make it move again but found her efforts to be in vain. She turned back around, running down the hallway and back the way she had come, finding the journey to be longer than before. She fell to her knees, gasping in exhaustion as she groaned, "How. . .how do I get out!"

"Look around you, things aren't always what they seem. . ." Hope looked up for the source of the voice but found herself alone again.

"Things. . .aren't as they seem. . .just like you, Trowa?" Hope glanced to her left and noticed that the mirroring seemed different there and reached out to find it was another pathway. Slowly getting to her feet, she walked down the new passage, following the turns until she found herself on the outside edge of the maze, against the glass frame of the ride. She peered out at the world beyond it, seeing Trowa and Precious standing on the sidewalk staring at her. Pressing against the glass wall, she watched as they turned around and began to walk away.

"No, wait! Trowa, Precious, come back! Don't leave me here alone, I can't find my way out! Please. . .don't. . .leave me. . ." Her voice faded into the tears running down her cheeks as she slid down the glass and curled up.

"Don't leave me. . .don't. . .come back. . ." She muttered quietly, hugging herself tightly.

"What's happening to that woman? Mr. Hearn. . ." Sara stared over at Hope's body hanging limply on the cross, tears running down her cheek as she muttered softly.

"I don't know, she should be knocked out!" Mr. Hearn rushed to the control panel, checking her stats.

"Having some. . .trouble?" Asuka commented sarcastically, feeling the strain of her painful questioning.

"If I were you, I'd keep my opinions to myself." Sara spat out fiercely.

"She's. . .just dreaming. . .must be one heck of a dream." Mr. Hearn said finally.

"Looks like a nightmare. . .too bad we can't watch it too, maybe we could get some answers from her subconscious." Sara said with a laugh. Turning back to Asuka, she said, "So. . .where were we?"

"You were futilely trying to get me to reveal information about something. . ." Asuka commented, staring down at her mockingly. Sara growled and mashed a button on the console, sending an electrical pulse through Asuka's body. She cringed, trying to hold in her screams of pain as her body felt like it was exploding from the inside out.

"I hope she holds out forever, this is fun to watch. . ." Mr. Hearn commented with a grin.

"That's one reason I like you, Mr. Hearn. . .you're pure evil."

"Thanks. . .my mom always said I would ruin my own life but I showed her, huh." He laughed and Sara chuckled with him as Asuka suffered in silence.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Blah blah, you know this all already. Okay, I own 'The Fainéant Five', but the people in the team are real people in my life. Hopefully, they won't take any offense to how they act in this story, I may occasionally take them out of character so. . .don't sue me, people I'm using! XD I don't do it on purpose. . ..

Chapter 14

"I agree with Chang, we should hurry up and do something, we're running out of time fast!" Quatre said, looking worried as the clock chimed another hour away.

"Okay, we still have 22 hours to think this thing out. This army must be recruiting men somewhere so we should have our men work on getting on the inside. Obviously we're too well known by them to try ourselves so-" Milliardo mused.

"It would be an honor to go, sir! We won't let you down!" Mike barged in, saluting. The other two Mikes merely acted like he was some unknown lunatic while Chris jumped in and said, "Yeah, I mean, I know how to get into places like nobody's business!"

"It's true, he's always getting into those strip clu-" Mike started.

"GAH! IT WAS FOR A MISSION! SHUTUP!" Chris pummeled Mike and everyone stared at him in confusion.

"I don't know if I can count on you five to be resourceful enough. . ." Milliardo said, watching the 'men' brawling on the floor. Dexter kicked them and said, "GUYS! Collect yourselves and be more mature. . ."

"Oh fine. . .okay, we'll be good. Now, we need codenames cause it's gonna get pretty darn confusing with three Mikes around. . .Mike, you're Playa." Chris said with a grin.

"Why me, you're the lady's man. . ." Mike muttered, frowning.

"I think it's great, heh." Mike said, fixing his clothes after his skirmish with Chris and putting his shades back on.

"Well then, you'll be Iceman. . ." Mike said sarcastically.

"Awe geez, I haven't heard that name since Sr. High. . .you're gonna get it." Mike hissed.

"And Dexter can be Dextosterone. . ." Chris patted his brother's shoulder.

"Why do I get a codename? I'm not named Mike. . ." Dexter complained.

"Too bad. Well, we need a name for Mike. . .but I don't know any of his nicknames. . ." They all looked at the quietest of the Mikes whom was uncomfortable under their gazes.

"Miguel." They heard a small voice call out from the back of the crowd. Turning, they found the source to be Mike's friend, Stacy.

"Awe, it's so cute! Miguel it is!" Chris announced happily.

"Sounds kinda Don Juanish. . .are we hiding something, Miguel?" Iceman said in a mocking tone, elbowing him with a wink. Miguel sighed as he slunk behind the group to hide his embarrassment.

"Okay, let's go out there and find the enemy! Come on, guys!" Chris started toward the door when Milliardo crossed his arms and said, "What about your nickname."

"Yeah, Chris doesn't have a nickname! Dextosterone, he must have a nickname you used to call him." Iceman said, getting glared at by Chris.

"Well, come to think of it. . .I remember we used to call him 'Sopher, the sexiest gopher'." Dextosterone mused.

"Awe, Deeex. . .why you gotta rat me out like that? Now they'll call me that forever. . ." Sopher whined, throwing his hands up and letting them fall on Dextosterone's chest, grabbing his shirt and pulling it a little as he sunk down dramatically. The guys snickered and stifled laughter at the nickname, trying not to give Sopher an excuse to attack them.

"Alright, enough of the drama, get going! You're wasting time." Milliardo commanded impatiently. They all stood at attention and saluted, saying in unison, "Yes sir, Wind, sir!"

"Wind?" Duo cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Milliardo.

"Long and disturbing story. . .get out of here!" Milliardo waved to the team of guys looking like grinning idiots in the doorway. They bumped into each other as they made their way out into the lobby where they met Chang as he came down the hallway.

"Well, if it isn't the 'fainting five'. . .what are you bakas up to?" Chang said sarcastically as he folded his arms.

"We are 'The Fainéant Five', feign-A-ant. . .not fainting." Iceman pronounced the name slowly like Chang was 2 years old. With a frown, Chang said, "I'm not ignorant, you fool!"

"Well, we're not bakas!"

"What's a baka?" Playa asked.

"I do believe baka is Japanese for 'idiot'. . ." Dextosterone explained, being the anime expert that he was.

(Writer's note: How can anime exist in a world that is anime? Well if the kids from 'Digimon Tamers' can watch 'Digimon', then anime CAN exist! Maybe our world is a TV show to them. . .OO)

"Oh. . .hey, I'm not an idiot. . ." The others shook their head and Chang chuckled, saying, "In the words of one very smart man, 'Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool then open your mouth and remove all doubt'. . .now, I have more important and intelligent things to do than waste my time talking to you blundering buffoons." Chang promptly walked away and left Iceman seething with rage and Sopher smiling.

"Wow. . .that guy's pretty smart, he can think of multiple insults without reusing a word! That quote was a nice touch too" Sopher said cheerfully.

"How can you be so happy, he just called you names!" Playa said, looking confused.

"Does that mean I still can't admire him?" Sopher asked curiously.

"Can we go? We don't need Wind on our backs. . ." Dextosterone said as he walked toward the door.

"Actually, that sounds nice. . .I wouldn't mind the wind on my back. . .nice cool wind. . ." Sopher fantasized being at the beach as he grinned.

"No cracking jokes about the bossman!"

"Okay, I will no longer crack Wind."

"Thank goodness. . ." Iceman said.

"And being the boss I will not attack him, so no cutting Wind either." Sopher winked.

"Yes, wouldn't want to do that."

"Would you guys knock it off!" Dextosterone said, getting annoyed.

"Awe, stop taking the Wind out of my sails!"

"What's he doing there? I thought the Wind was in the lobby. . ." Playa commented.

"Nah, just a bunch of hot air." Sopher laughed. Dextosterone put him in a headlock and held him there until he pleaded mercy.

"Do you think we can count on them?" Rachel asked, hearing the arguing and laughing leaving the building. Milliardo sighed and walked toward the hallway to the bedrooms.

"Where are you going?" Quatre asked.

"To get some Aleve, I have a headache. . ." Milliardo groaned, touching his head.

"Is its name The Fainéant Five?" Duo asked sarcastically. Milliardo groaned louder as he stalked down the hallway muttering about something regarding a hammer and some peoples' heads.

"Danielle, where's that baka I haven't fired yet!" Hilde walked up to the secretary's desk, resting a hand on it with the other placed firmly on her hip. She scowled at Danielle who jumped, quickly saying goodbye to her friend on the phone and slamming it down on the receiver.

"You mean Mr. Duo Maxwell?" Danielle asked, trying to recover her cool after the surprise visit. Hilde stood up, crossing her arms over her chest with a glare, saying, "No, I mean Mr. Dead Meat. Yes, him! Where on earth is he? And where did he go yesterday! He was only here for half an hour before he disappeared!"

"I'm not sure where he went off to, he just came in here and took a file and left. . .hasn't returned since."

"Took a file? What file?" Hilde frowned.

"The Mariemaia account, ma'am."

"What? That's our biggest account and he ran off with the papers! Why haven't I fired that stupid little-" Hilde clenched her fists angrily.

"Because he's your partner in the business? You. . .can't fire him. . ."

"Oh yeah, throw that in my face! I'm gonna hunt him down if it's the last thing I do! Duo!" Hilde stalked out of the room. Danielle quickly jumped to her feet, rushing after Hilde and shouting, "Ma'am, I'll make some calls to find him, you should stay here in case someone asks about the account!"

"Ugh, I suppose. . .but if you find him, kick him for me." Hilde said, quickly making for her office to dwell in her fury. Sighing, Danielle muttered, "You'd better thank me later, Duo. . ." She walked back into her office and sat in her chair, picking up the phone and dialing his home phone number. Waiting, it rang endlessly until she finally gave up and called his cell phone number. The answering machine picked up.

This is Duo Maxwell, I'm being pestered by Zechs or with my girlfriend having-DUO MAXWELL! DON'T MAKE ME HURT YOU!-Er. . .leave a message, bye. Come on, babe, I was only kidding. . .beep"

What a moron. . .why is she still with him? Danielle thought as she rolled her eyes.

"Duo, this is Danielle from work, your hide is gonna be cookin' if you don't call me back. Hilde's steamin' mad! Hope you have a will. . .bye." Danielle hung up and shook her head, saying, "Where did he go? He does this all the time. . .it's like he's living a double life or something. . ."

"Alright, guys, this is how it's gonna go down. Iceman and I will work on infiltrating the ranks of this organization and get close to the men on top. Dextosterone will be our outside contact keeping track of our progress and giving us info whenever we need it. Playa and Miguel will be our backup if we ever need someone to invade or do other duties of spyatude. . .everyone got that?" Sopher announced. The group nodded in unison.

"I found the location of the last known recruiting station. It's in the United States, specifically Williamsburg, Kentucky. They seem to base their operations near Cumberland College and get most of their men from there. The sighted flow has been reported to eventually end up in the area of Cumberland Falls. No further information so far. I can book us a flight out by 5:30 PM and we should arrive in Paris-De Gaulle for our departing connection to Atlanta by 8:30 PM which will take until 5:30 AM to arrive there. From there, we'll fly to-" Dextosterone said as he read off the documents saved in his palm pilot.

"Dex, dude. . .we only have 21 and a half hours left till innocent lives are blown to heck! This whole flight would take us like. . .12 hours or more to get there, leaving us only 9 hours to actually find the recruiters AND get officially signed up AND gain enough access to find the hideout the hostages are being held in! By then they'll be dust bunnies!" Sopher interrupted impatiently.

"Then how do you presume we get there, smarty-pants!" Dextosterone asked, looking indignant.

"By supersonic jet!" He answered with a big grin.

"Dude. . .where in the world are we gonna get a-" Iceman began to protest to this seemingly outrageous remark.

"Jet? The Wind might be of some assistance. . .seeing that he owns one by the name of Bullseye. And I just happen to be licensed to pilot it, so come on! With this baby, it'll only take us 5 hours to fly there instead of a day and part of a night!" Sopher proudly led the group to their van outside so they could get on their way to the secret location of the jet plane.

"You're just full of surprises, Sopher. . .now if only you'd share these surprises a little sooner so we wouldn't waste so much time talking over plans that will be invalid anyway. . ." Dextosterone complained.

"But then it wouldn't be a surprise and I wouldn't look so ingenious. . .takes away from the mystery that makes me the sexiest gopher. . ." Sopher winked. With an eye roll, everyone got in the van and Dextosterone drove while Sopher guided. Within 30 minutes, they arrived at what looked like an ordinary lakeside cabin. As they got out, Iceman said, "This just looks like some run down cabin in the middle of nowhere. . .are you sure you know where you're going, Sopher?"

"Patience is a visa, dude." Sopher said as he pulled out a set of keys and sorted through them.

"Don't you mean virtue?" Playa asked.

"Nope, cause you can get anywhere and anything with patience. . .just like a visa." Sopher winked and went on to open the front door. The group walked into the lob cabin and followed Sopher back to another door that he opened and revealed an elevator.

"I haven't seen too many log cabins with elevators. . ." Dextosterone said, entering it with the others. Sopher punched the "B" button on the keypad and the elevator quickly descended with a final ding. The doors opened with a whoosh of air and the group of men stepped into a large hangar deep under the ground.

"Woah, dude! This is like something out of a spy movie. . ." Iceman said, his mouth salivating over all the technology within his grasp.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen. . ." Sopher strode over to a power box on the wall and opened it.

"Hey, who you calling a lady!" Iceman looked indignantly at Sopher, his hands on his hips.

"Hmm. . .I present, the Bullseye!" Sopher announced, not commenting on the question previously asked. He flipped a switch and spotlights reflected against the hull of the jet before them.

"HOT! What's it made of, Titanium?" Dextosterone asked, feeling chills running through his spine.

"Nope, even better: Gundanium!"

"You're kidding! How in the world. . ."

"Anything seems to be possible when it comes to the big man upstairs. . .shall we?" Sopher walked toward the 40-foot long supersonic jet, digging out the keys to the ignition system.

"It makes sense for it to be made out of Gundanium alloy. Gundanium is sleek, aerodynamic and perfect for mach speeds through Earth's atmosphere. This jet should logically travel faster with this type of material encasing it." Miguel stated in a monotone voice. Everyone stopped and stared at him in shock and he merely blinked.

"Wow, that's the most I've ever heard you say. . .I didn't know you were into aeronautics!" Sopher exclaimed joyfully. Miguel shrugged and continued on to the plane, opening the hatch door and climbing in. Everyone exchanged glances momentarily before joining him aboard their ride. Sopher jumped into the pilot seat, flipping switches and pushing buttons as the jet began to roar to life.

"Um. . .I hope this isn't a dumb question but. . .how are we getting out of here? We're underground. . ." Playa asked as he strapped himself in.

"Correction, we're 'underwater'." Sopher said with a wink.

"Wha?" Iceman exclaimed. With a triumphant swirl in the air, Sopher let his finger land on a green button near the com button. The ground trembled beneath them and they began to panic as water rained down on them, soaking through the grated flooring at the base of the cave.

"WAH! The cave's flooding!" Dextosterone exclaimed, frantically looking around.

"No, that's just the lake coming in, the doors will be open in a second and we'll be ready for take off." Sopher said cheerfully. The engines roared to life and the jet began it's vertical ascend through the air, floating up through the open hangar doors and out into fresh air.

"Hmm. . .I didn't know jet's were capable of vertical takeoff yet, fascinating. . ." Miguel commented.

"We should take you on more missions, dude, you talk more! Alright, here we go! RIDE LIKE THE WIND, BULLSEYE!" Sopher exclaimed.

"Wow. . .that REALLY doesn't sound right. . ." Iceman commented just before Sopher shoved the steering into full throttle, taking off into the sky and tearing through the clouds as they went on their way to the U.S.A.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Er. . .uh. . .sorry, can't think of anything to say, heh. If anyone knows the exact time in Gundam Wing that the Gundam Boys tried to ambush OZ (the episodes when Heero first fought with Zechs), I'd be grateful for the info so I can make my story special, heh.

Chapter 15

"Chang, we haven't had a vacation in months, over a year in fact! We didn't even celebrate our anniversary for more than 10 minutes before 'something' came up and you ran off to your precious office! When are you going to be free from this endless work!"

"When I'm done. . .don't nag. . ."

"Don't nag! If I don't nag, you won't even notice I'm here! I might as well just go on a vacation by myself, you wouldn't tell if I had left or not anyway!"

"Asuka, why are you bringing this up now! You know I'm too busy to concern myself with anything else!"

"Oh, of course. . .no breaks, no sex, no kids. . .that's about right, isn't it?"

"Not the kid thing again. . .we've been over this before!"

"And nothing has happened but fights and arguing! I only have so many bearing years left in my life and you don't seem to give a care! Don't you want a son or daughter to pass on your knowledge to!"

"Some day, but not right now."

"Quatre's having a child and he's busier than you. . .I think you just don't want to have to deal with the responsibility."

"I wouldn't be a good father to anything but my work at the moment, you know that!"

"Right. . .I know everything. . .you're full of it, Chang Wufei!"

"I will not have such disrespectful talk spoken to me, woman!"

"Don't call me 'woman'! I don't see how we ever thought this relationship would work! All we ever did was fight and pick on each other, how could I have said yes to such a pigheaded fool!"

"Well if that's what you think I am then why do you stay with me!"

"I honestly don't know, perhaps I have pity for you being so stupid!"

"Stupid! I won't take this, leave before I say something I'll possibly regret!"

"Oh I'll leave. . .goodbye, Wufei."

"Asuka. . .wait, come back, I didn't mean it. . .Asuka. . .Asuka!" Chang shot up out of bed, his near naked body drenched in cold sweat. Gasping, he stared at the door to his bedroom, thinking, _It. . .it was just a dream. . .no, it wasn't. I really said that to her. . .it really happened. . .Asuka, you were right, I am stupid. Stupid for telling you to leave, stupid for not trying to stop you. . .stupid. . .now I've lost you forever. . ._

"Asuka. . .I. . .I didn't. . ." Falling back, Chang ran his fingers slowly through his hair, staring up at the ceiling in an attempt to evade the hot tears creeping into his eyes.

"Now the Chinese Prime Minister's wife is crying. . .why is this happening!" Mr. Hearn stared at Asuka's perplexing display of emotions, his mind empty of answers to his questions. Shaking his head, he looked down at the life support status report, muttering, "She should be in a deep, dreamless state of sleep. . .it should be impossible for her to even think! Why. . .why is this happening? I don't understand, my work is foolproof. . ." With an aggravated sigh, he turned and walked across the room, entering a side chamber with similar technology set up. Pressing a few buttons on the console, he watched as two containment structures rose up like the others', revealing two women deep in slumber. His eyes full of contempt, Mr. Hearn said, "I don't have all the answers, mom. . .Christina. . .I don't understand why they're overriding my serum! Could. . .could they have such a strong emotional bond with their freedom and friends that they're fighting it? Full of so much hope. . .ha, hope. . .that's something I don't have. I couldn't hope to be strong enough to save you two, I know I'm not. Dad died cause he had hopes of saving us from these monsters, but I ended up condemning you by working for them in return for your safety. I had hoped to save you some day but. . .the serum's most likely set you into a coma, beyond any help I can give to bring you back. I promise you, if I can't save you I WILL destroy those who've done this to you. . .that much I can give you." Just then, he heard the elevator doors open and footsteps echo across the metal grated floors. Quickly, he shut down the systems on his family's units, hurrying over to the prisoners and their company. Sara stood staring at them with her back to Mr. Hearn, arms crossed over her chest.

"Where did you run off to, Mr. Hearn? I thought I told you to interrogate these two. . ." Sara said, not turning to face him.

"I was checking into some data, I was just coming back. . .what does it matter? They're gonna die soon anyway. . .isn't that what you want?" Mr. Hearn shot back spitefully as he took his place at the control panel again.

"Don't get fresh with me, just do what you're told. We only have 12 hours left until their time is up. . .don't make me remind you of what happens if you don't do your job. . ."

"Wouldn't dream of it. . ." Mr. Hearn mumbled under his breath.

"Good, now I'm bushed, don't bother me unless it's an absolute emergency. . ." Sara turned and walked off to the elevator, getting back in and leaving Mr. Hearn to back talk her to her back.

"She expects me to stay up all night doing her every passing whim? It's already 2 in the morning and I'm not a robot, I can't keep going without sleep. She won't know if I took a nap. . .and forget her if she does." Shutting down the systems, he walked off to his quarters far off in the corner of the prison level and went inside for the night.

"Uuuuuugh, are we there yeeeet!" Iceman moaned, itching to get up and move around after sitting for over 8 hours.

"Not yet. . .same as 10 minutes ago when you asked the same question." Sopher responded, starting to get irritated. Beginning to bounce in his seat, Iceman said, "Yeah well. . .I reeeaaally want to get on the ground. . ."

"Why!"

"I GOTTA PEE!"

"Awe man, can't you hold it!"

"I've been holding it for the past 2 hours, dude! I'm gonna explode!"

"I hope not literally. . .cause I'm not cleaning it up. . ." Playa commented. With a groan, Iceman said, "How much longer?"

"It's an hour to the nearest commercial airport."

"Uuuunngh!"

"Well, there's always a small airport in the area. . ."

"How far!"

"About 30 minutes."

"GAAAH!"

"20?"

"MY BLADDER!"

"Well, what do you want me to do!"

"Land on a road, in a lake, on a mountain, I don't care just get this thing on the ground NOW!"

"ALRIGHT! Just chill, man. . .I'm doing the best I can!"

"Tell that to the backup inside me!"

"Ugh, dude, keep the details to yourself. . ." As they searched for a closer airstrip-or anything flat, for that matter-Iceman bounced, crossed and uncrossed his legs, whimpered, and moaned all the way down to the ground. 15 minutes later, they were landed in a small airport with barely enough room for one plane to land in.

"OUTA MY WAY!" Iceman had his buckle off within seconds as he ran for the hatch, quickly getting it open and racing out of the plane, heading for the closest building he could find.

"Man. . .and you wanted to wait!" Dextosterone said, getting up with the others to get out.

"Geez, some people have no endurance. . ." Sopher shook his head, shutting down the systems and getting up. As they walked out of the plane, Iceman came walking back across the runway, saying, "Ah. . .I feel like a new man!"

"Awe, and I liked the old Iceman. . .don't tell me you flushed him down the toilet!"

"Guys, we have 11 hours and 40 minutes left until the clock stops ticking, we need to find transportation and fast!" Dextosterone reminded the group.

"Right! Let's move out!" Sopher said, trooping on across the asphalt.

"Hey, Sopher, you're on a runway, work it!" Iceman shouted to him. Suddenly, Sopher's body went into a strut, walking sharply forward a few steps before turning and striking a pose. The guys hollered and cheered and Sopher grinned, turning around continuing on as he said, "Who am I!"

"Sopher: The sexiest gopher!" They yelled in unison. Pointing to the sky as he worked it, he said, "You know it! Now. . .let's do this thing!" As they walked past the hangars at the far end of the airport, Iceman froze and let out a low whistle. Quick to his side, Sopher grabbed him, saying, "Babe! Where!"

"No, it's one of THE hottest cars EVER! LOOK!" Iceman said, licking back the saliva creeping to his lips as he pointed in the direction of what made him feel so lusty.

"Duuude, it's a cherry red GT 500. . .oh baby. . .but we can't fit in that thing, we need something bigger!" Dextosterone said, joining in the droolfest.

"Well, you guys can hitchhike to Cumberland College, I'm riding in style!" Iceman said with a grin, running over to the car and jimmying open the door, quickly shutting off the alarm and working on jumpstarting it. The others followed him over and Playa said, "We're a team, remember? You can't just leave us behind!" Suddenly, the car roared to life and Iceman looked quite pleasured by the hum of the engine.

"Listen to that baby purr. . .either you guys can pile in and we can go to the nearest car rental place or walk there!"

"Oh forget it, let's go!" Sopher immediately called shotgun and the others squished in somehow. They tore out of the parking lot, roaring off down the road to the nearest car rental.

__

I can't sleep. . .maybe I'll go downstairs and read through the information logs again and do some paperwork. . .Heero thought to himself, softly rolling out of bed and quietly sneaking over to the door. Taking a glance back to make sure Relena hadn't woken, he opened the door and slid through, slowly closing it behind him before heading for the stairs. As his foot touched the first step, a barely audible sound echoed upstairs and he froze, quickly leaning to the wall and crouching, his ears tuning in to the noise to distinguish its source. He stayed in his crouched position, creeping stealthily down the stairs and sneaking over to the hallway. As he approached his office door, he heard mild clicking echoing in a rhythmic flow.

__

Someone's on my computer. . .a spy? I would have sensed someone breaking in, must be someone inside. Heero thought to himself, gently wrapping his hand around the doorknob and slowly turning it till it stopped moving. He stood facing the door, easing it open and peeking in to see Trowa staring intently at the monitor. As soon as he opened the door, Trowa's eyes snapped to him and he jumped to his feet.

"What are you doing on my computer?" Heero asked in a demanding tone as he walked in.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to do some research to get my mind off things. . ." Trowa said, slowly easing back down into the chair. Heero walked around the desk and leaned against it, looking over Trowa's shoulder to see what he was up to.

"Researching what?"

"The kidnappers."

"I thought our inside workers said there was a virus covering their pasts. . ."

"I didn't look them up directly, I looked up Chang's secretary. . ."

"Since she's sisters with one of them."

"Exactly. I found a link to the others on her page and easily found out about their pasts."

"Really. . ."

"Stacy is Sara's sister and our informant-Miguel, is it now? He's Chris' brother. They all knew each other in high school and went to 4-H together back when it still existed."

"4-H?"

"It's some organization for homeschool kids, I guess. . .it's like a club."

"I see. . .where are you going with this?"

"Well, before they graduated and went their separate ways, they knew some people from all over their state who died in the war sometime along the way. . .here comes the interesting part. . ."

"I should hope so."

"Several of them stood out more than the others. For one, a guy by the name David Schroder. . .I used that name as a cover one time while I was in Germany. Another is Alyssa. . ."

"Precious' sister?"

"Yes, she spent a year as a transfer student and knew a family involved in 4-H so she went to several events with them, thus meeting our four people."

"Interesting. . ."

"What's more interesting is this guy David's recorded girlfriend, whom is said to have died with him. . .her name's Rachel."

"Our Rachel?"

"What do you think?" Trowa showed him a file photo of her and his eyebrows went up.

"That's her alright. But how can someone exist in time with himself or herself? I thought that was impossible."

"Their recorded deaths were around May 22nd, A.C. 195."

"That's when Rachel appeared. . .could her death in this dimension have drawn her here by accident?"

"I don't know but she seems to have appeared the split second after this world's Rachel died."

"Hmm. . .if there's a Rachel in both our dimensions, could there be forms of ourselves in her world as well?"

"I suppose. . .there couldn't be a form of Duo though, since he was able to go into her world safely."

"Maybe it doesn't matter, as long as they don't cross paths. . ."

"Yeah, true, that's what happened in Time Cop 2. . ." Trowa mused.

"That was just a movie, Trowa. . .return to reality. Maybe Rachel knows these people in her world too. . .we should ask her."

"Right, she shouldn't mind being woken for this. . ." Trowa got up.

"She's not in her room." Heero said, stopping Trowa.

"Where is she?"

"In Duo's room." Trowa stiffened momentarily before saying, "Really. . ."

"I saw her go in with him at 1 and that door hasn't opened since then, and Rachel doesn't use her powers without reason so. . ." Heero trailed off. Trowa held back the hot fire burning in his gut as he said, "They're both adults, it doesn't matter what they do behind closed doors. . ."

"I think it matters to you." Trowa glared at him, saying, "Why would it?"

"Because you want her for yourself, you always have but never been man enough to go after her."

"Don't talk about things you know nothing about, Heero. . ." Trowa left the room and Heero mumbled to himself before following suit, "Well when I actually do, I'll have to stop myself. . ."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't know too much about cars so…leave me alone if you get picky about things…

Chapter 16

"Alright, just let me do the talking and we'll get on our way." Sopher said, squirming out of the car and walking up to the rental office. He sauntered into the building and walked up to the counter, saying in his most sensuous voice, "Excuse me, I need something with a smooth ride, sleek curves, and moves fast. . ."

"Well, all I have to sell you are cars so hopefully that will be okay." The salesclerk turned to face him, cocking an eyebrow. With a grin, he said, "That would be just fine. . ." Clearing her throat and looking bored with his presentation, she said, "I'm sure. Follow me, I'll show you some of our selection."

"Lovely. . ." After multiple cars, and flirt sessions, a car was picked and the guys followed Sopher into the office as he signed the paperwork.

"Alrighty, here you go, miss. . ." He squinted, trying to read her nametag. With an eye roll, she said, "Michelle."

"Michelle. . .what a beautiful name. . .can I call you Michelle?"

"Well, I can't determined whether or not you're capable of calling me but either way, no, you MAY not. . .and it's Miss DuCharme to customers. . .Thank you for your business, don't be late or I'll have to charge you. . .good day." She said, taking the papers from him and walking back into the rear offices.

"Woah. . .BURN!" Iceman said, laughing at Sopher.

"She sure told you. . ." Dextosterone said, stifling an outburst.

"Let's go. . ." Sopher growled through his teeth, stalking out of the building to the car they just rented.

"Have you ever been rejected before?" Playa asked.

"Shutup. . ." Grumbling all the way to the College, Sopher pulled up into the college parking lot, jumping out and looking around at the scenery.

"It's quiet. . .too quiet. . ." Iceman whispered, looking around at the nearly pitch black surroundings.

"It's almost 3 in the morning, dude, of course it's quiet! Now, let's get into the dorms and meet up with our contact." Sopher said as they slunk across the parking lot, being careful to stay in the shadows.

"We have a contact?" Playa asked curiously.

"Duh, how else do you think we're gonna pass as college students? And get into the dorms, for that matter. . .come on, we're across the street." They darted across the street, following the stone walls setting off the houses all way back to the men's dorm. They quietly dashed over to the Roman styled building, hiding against the pillars and making sure the coast was clear. Sopher went to the front door, looking in before starting to break it down.

"Sopher. . .what the heck! This is no time to be getting your groove on!" Iceman hissed, getting freaked out by his partner's movements. Suddenly, he stopped and stepped back, watching as a man came to the door and opened it.

"Bust a move, baby." Sopher said.

"Roger Dodger." The man responded.

"Cool beans." They shook hands and he said, "I've been waiting for you guys, what took you?"

"A little problem finding a place to land. . ." Sopher said as he closed the door behind them. As the man walked toward the stairwell leading to the upstairs dorms, Iceman whispered, "That little freak session was your signal!"

"Wasn't my idea. . .but it sure was fun." Sopher grinned.

"Who's. . .idea was it?" Playa was almost afraid to know. Sopher didn't respond as they entered the second floor. They walked quietly back to a far room around the corner from the stairs and the man opened the door, letting them go in and check things out before getting comfortable. Sopher walked back to the man and said, "Thanks for your help, man."

"No problem, and call me Kevin, but it's Mr. Pesce around everyone else." The man said, started out the door.

"Gotcha, see ya in the morning, Kevin." The door shut and Sopher dashed through the rooms gathering the guys into the first room. As they settled into chairs and on the beds, he said, "Alright, now everyone remembers their assignments, correct?"

"I work with you to get recruited." Iceman stated.

"Miguel and I are your backup hitmen." Playa said, pointing to his partner.

"And I'm the log keeper and info giver." Dextosterone said cheerfully.

"Good. Now, get some sleep because we have no idea when we might get the chance to again. Breakfast is at 6 so don't be late, that's when we get associated with the area and their lingo and such, maybe even get noticed by some recruiters."

"Do we actually have to go to classes and learn stuff?" Iceman asked, not looking forward to that part.

"We only attend the classes, you could daydream the whole time for all they care. Okay so. . .get out of my room, I have some sleeping to catch up on!" Sopher kicked everyone out of his room and jumped into bed, snuggling with his pillow and falling fast asleep.

A knock echoed off Duo's door, catching Rachel's attention.

__

Who could that be now. . .I just got Duo to sleep. . .Rachel quickly jumped up and ran to the door, opening it quietly and peeking out.

"Rachel. . .sorry to disturb you." Trowa said, looking a little uneasy.

"what is it? Is something wrong?" She responded, covering her mouth as a yawn escaped her.

"Not really, I just wanted to ask you something. . ." He said, glancing over Rachel's head into the room. She looked back in briefly to make sure Duo was still asleep before sliding out into the hall and closing the door. She had on a robe and Trowa immediately assumed the worse. His gaze sunk to the floor as he searched for elsewhere to focus his attention. Crossing her arms, Rachel said, "So. . .what did you want to ask me?"

"I was doing some research on the enemy and found out that they had a link to you in this world." Trowa said, raising his gaze to her face but hiding his feelings.

"Really? I exist here?" She said, sounding surprised.

"You did. . .once. You died in the war with your boyfriend."

"My. . .boyfriend?" She blinked.

"Yeah, it said his name was David Schroder." Her eyes widened and she almost gasped, looking away. Blinking, Trowa said, "You know him?"

"Y-yes. . .I was in love with him in my world. . ."

"Does Duo know?" Trowa cocked his eyebrow.

"No. . .but it doesn't really matter, my life is here now. Wow. . .we actually went out in this world. . .it's almost as if all my hopes and dreams were real in this world and all my fears were real in mine. . ."

"What a depressing way to look at it. . .you dreamt of dying with this David character?"

"Well. . .no, but I suppose maybe I hoped to die SOMEday with him. . ."

"That's interesting. . .Rachel, do you know Stacy and Mike?"

"Huh?" Rachel snapped out of her musing and stared at Trowa.

"It says you were friends with them before the war, in some club called 4-H."

"Seriously? That exists here too?"

"So you do know them?"

"Well. . .yes, I do. . .but these people aren't like the ones I know. . .Sara and Chris aren't evil and Mike's not a spy for the government. . .at least I don't think he is. . ." Rachel began to muse again.

"So. . .none of them are like the versions you have?"

"Well, they have similar personalities, to some extent. . .Stacy's still sweet and gentle and friends with Mike, who might I add is still quiet as ever. . ."

"So they're the same people. . .but have lived different lives. . .perhaps as you said, the people in this world are just. . .living the dreams the real people have? I mean, the people from your dimension."

"I always said this place was a dream world. . .it would make sense."

"But you're here, is this a dream to you too?"

"I've always wanted to live in another world. . .but this is extraordinary! I wonder. . .if that's true then. . .David secretly dreams of being with me! Could we have the same dreams. . .?"

"You're getting off the subject. Why would anyone have secret desires to start wars! Are your friends psychotic?"

"No! Sara and Chris aren't like that!"

"Perhaps they are; people dream of being things they aren't all the time but act nothing like what they wish they could be. . .that's the whole point of dreaming, to be something nothing like yourself."

"I guess that's true. . .so that means Sara dreams of being an athletic, sadistic maniac? And Chris. . .well, I don't know what he wants to be, we haven't run into him yet."

"So you couldn't give any information on the them. . ."

"I don't know if it would help any, they most likely aren't anything like themselves here."

"If you know them then. . .why haven't you spoken to them?"

"Trowa. . .do they know about our powers?" He thought for a minute and said, "Most likely not."

"Then how can I? They think I'm dead. . .well, to them I am! To know I'm alive. . ."

"But they know your name, why haven't they reacted?"

"I don't know, perhaps they don't know I'm dead here. . .don't ask me, I don't have the answers."

"Okay. Sorry to have woken you for this. . .goodnight." He started to walk away when Rachel said, "I wasn't asleep, I was waiting for Duo to go to sleep. . .he was afraid he'd wake up and I wouldn't be there again. . ."

"Rachel, it's none of my business what you do with Duo, you don't have to explain yourself to me." Trowa muttered, his back to her.

"I'm not sleeping with him, Trowa. . .you know I'm not like that and it hurts you'd even think that."

"I. . .I never said that I-" Trowa turned back.

"I don't care if people know about my personal business, if I don't have anything to be a shamed of, why hide? Goodnight, Trowa. . ." Rachel turned and walked back into Duo's room, slowly closing the door behind her. Standing for a moment, frozen by her words, Trowa thought, _You may not have anything to hide but. . ._With that, he turned around and walked back toward his room to 'sleep'.

"Whew. . .there's a lot of hotties in Kentucky! And I just love a Southern accent on a girl. . ." Iceman whistled as a group of college students walked by, giggling at his comment as they went to breakfast. He winked to them and Sopher said, "I know they're inviting but we have work to do, don't forget your mission. . .business before pleasure. . ." Suddenly, a raving beauty walked by and his eyes followed her as he said, "And it sure would be a PLEASURE to do business with her. . ."

"What were you saying?"

"Oh. . .yeah. . .let's go, I'm hungry." Sopher mumbled as he walked into the cafeteria. As he walked through the line for the buffet, he overheard a conversation between two jocks two people ahead of him.

"And they're coming in at 3?"

"Yeah, we're going to meet them out by the clock tower behind the girls' dorms."

"Who's going to join?"

"A couple of the guys, not many, they said not to make it obvious so don't tell anyone else. Tim said they only wanted 5 guys for their run today."

"Right. . .this is gonna be the best year of school ever. . ." The men laughed and walked off to find some seats.

__

Out by the clock tower at 3. . .Sopher thought to himself, remembering that date as he headed out to find a seat himself. He sat by his brother and Dextosterone said, "Gross, you got the pancakes? They're still doughy. . ."

"I got our first lead. . ." Sopher muttered before taking a bite of the pancakes.

"Really. . .Wind didn't hire you for your looks after all. . ."

"Clock tower at 3, behind the girl's dorm."

"Right."

"These pancakes aren't doughy. . .you're just too picky!" Sopher said, acting like normal as he munched away on his breakfast.

"8 hours and counting. . ." Heero muttered before taking a sip of his coffee, his eyes closed in silent thought. Relena walked into his office carrying a tray of food, stopping in front of his desk and saying, "Hungry?"

"Yes, thank you. . ." Heero said, not really looking her direction as he cleared a space for the tray with one swipe of his arm. She set the food down and said, "It's. . .getting pretty close, don't you think, Heero? Can we really trust that these guys can save them on their own?"

"I don't but no one will let me do it my way. . ." Heero said, typing on his keyboard.

"You don't? Why didn't you say so before?" Relena exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Because it was the only way to settle down the others, meanwhile I've been devising my own plan in case they really don't do the job."

"You have a plan? Can I see?" Relena walked around the desk, resting her hands on his shoulders. He quickly pressed a button and the screen blacked out, causing Relena to blink in surprise. She slowly took her hands off his shoulders as he said, "It's not ready yet."

"Maybe I can help. . ."

"No." Heero said simply. Relena frowned and said, "Heero. . .!"

"Please just trust me on this one. . ."

"Fine. . .you know, I'm really getting tired of you hiding things from me. . ." Relena left the room and Heero glanced at the doorway after her, thinking, _In due time, you will know. . .I will tell you everything. . .but not yet. . ._

"So, might that little toy of yours play into this great plan you've devised?" Heero snapped his gaze across the room at the wall behind him and saw Rachel's figure slowly fade into sight, stepping out of the wall and onto the Persian rug adorning the floor.

"And you're telling me not to use my powers. . ." Heero grumbled as she sat on his desk.

"I figure no one will know if you don't tell them. . .a secret for a secret?" She winked.

"You have an evil side, you know that? What do you want?"

"I was just curious about your plan, might that ship of yours be part of it?" He turned back to his computer and turned it back on, going back to his work.

"Perhaps. . ."

"Perhaps?" She leaned over his shoulder and he stiffened, glaring at her. She grinned and he rolled away from her, saying as he went back to typing, "Since we're not going to use our powers for safety reasons. . .might as well. I hear Noin's been doing some planning of her own behind Relena's back too. . ."

"Really? How'd you hear that?"

"I didn't, I followed her."

"Oh." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"She's been working with my old mentor to create a new and more powerful mobile suit, for who knows what. . ."

"Mobile suit? I thought the production of those were-"

"Illegal? They're considered weapons so yes."

"But Noin trusts Relena. . ."

"She feels the same as I do, she wants to keep her plans and aspirations safe from anything."

"I see. . .does this new model have a name?"

"I believe I overheard her mention it being called 'Mercurius', it has a powerful shield it generates, able to withstand any weapons fire."

"Mercurius?" Rachel's eyes widened as she had flashbacks of the series.

"You know about it too?" Heero sounded surprised.

"Mercurius is one of two mobile suits created by the doctors for OZ, or at least that's how it went in the series. The other was called Vayeate and it had a beam cannon more powerful than the one later installed on your Gundam. . .it had the power to rip apart the hull of a Gundam. . ."

"Impressive. . .but this was only created by Doctor J. . .unless the others just didn't show their faces. . ."

"It's possible that's how it is in this version of the game, maybe Vayeate hasn't even been thought of yet. But that doesn't make sense, they were nothing without each other, Mercurius was the defense and Vayeate was the offense. . .together they were nearly unstoppable."

"I see. . .I need to get in contact with Noin, we haven't been in touch for hours. . ."

"We need to get both of those guys over here, since it doesn't do them much good to keep their distance now. . ."

"True, I'll call them." Heero grabbed his phone and called up Milliardo and Noin.

Hello Heero, what can I do for you? Milliardo answered the call.

"You can bring yourself and your girlfriend over here so we can have a little chat." Heero responded coolly.

Is there a problem?

"Not yet. . .I'll see you two in a few minutes, don't be late." Heero hung up the phone.

"Are they coming?" Rachel cocked her head to the side lazily.

"I haven't known Zechs to resist an invitation without explanation. . .he'll be here." Heero said, going back to his work.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Noin, we're going to the Sanc Capitol, get ready to leave." Milliardo said as he set the phone on its cradle. She turned and said in surprise, "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, Heero said he wanted to have a chat with us. . ."

"And he couldn't over the phone? I have things I need to do. . ."

"It's 8 hours until the execution date, we can't keep out of the loop, not this late in the game."

"You can go, I'm sure he doesn't need both of us."

"He specifically asked for you and me. . .Noin, why are you being so stubborn?"

"I'm not. . .let's go." She said, getting irritated as she packed her laptop into her briefcase and picked it up, walking toward the front door.

"Hmm. . ." Milliardo narrowed his eyes as he gathered his things and followed. 30 minutes later, they walked up to the front door of the Capital building and knocked.

"I'll get it!" Stacy called out as she trotted to the door and opened it. With a big, inviting smile, she said, "Welcome! Come in, you have been expected. Mr. Yuy is waiting for you in the parlor, please follow me." She said, leading them into the parlor and announcing, "Mr. Peacecraft and Ms. Noin have arrived, sir."

"Thank you, Stacy." Heero said, not looking up from some papers he was reading. She bowed and left the room.

"Heero, why have you called us here?" Milliardo asked.

"Have a seat. . ." Heero motioned to the couch and they sat down, looking a little confused by their calling to this place. Tapping his papers on his knee to stack them neatly together, he said, "Milliardo, did you ever hear about OZ having plans for any special mobile suits?"

"No, not that I know of. . .did you, Noin?" Milliardo looked over at his girlfriend and she said, "Nothing of the sort, they were mostly concerned with finding the gundams and destroying them."

"I see. . .did either of you ever have contact with the creators of the gundams?" Heero asked, leaning forward to set the papers on the coffee table.

"I don't think so. . .I have met a lot of people in my life. . ."

"Just as a point of clarification, the names of the doctors are: Doctor J, Instructor H, Professor G, Master O, and Doktor S."

"Don't forget Howard. . ." Rachel popped into the room, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Howard? Well, if you say so. . .any of those names sound familiar?" Heero said, looking up at the couple in question.

"I don't think so. . .Heero, why are you questioning us like we're the enemy?" Milliardo began to get defensive.

"Someone in our ranks has been contacting one of the scientists, Doctor J to be precise, and requesting work from him on the construction of a new mobile suit design. . .one with great power and capability."

"It wasn't me, I wouldn't dare do something to threaten my sister's reign. . ." Milliardo defended himself.

"Of course not. . .Noin, you've been so quiet since you got here, is there something you wish to tell us?" Heero said, staring at Noin. She looked up and said, "No, not at all. . ."

"Come now, Noin, you can trust your friends, can't you?" Heero said, leaning back and folding his hands, resting them against his chin.

"If you know something, why torture me. . .just come out and say it, Heero." Noin narrowed her eyes and Milliardo stared at her in surprise.

"Fine. . .read those papers." Heero nodded in the direction of the papers he had laid on the table a minute ago. Slowly, Milliardo leaned forward and took them, looking back and forth briefly between Noin and Heero before looking at the documents.

"These are. . ." His eyes widened.

"Schematics for the new model of mobile suit: Mercurius." Heero stated, his gaze locked on Noin for her reaction.

"That's a nice mobile suit. . .what's your point, Heero?" Noin looked up and he knew immediately it wasn't the one she had seen.

"Rachel. . ." He glanced in the direction of his informant and she shrugged.

"What are you trying to prove, Heero?" Noin asked, looking aggravated.

"Well since this isn't the exact design of the model you commissioned Doctor J for. . ." Heero said.

"What? Noin, is this true!" Milliardo sounded outraged.

"Yes, it is. . ." Noin said, not sounding ashamed in the slightest.

"Then what is the mobile suit you requested? The Vayeate model?" Heero asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about but if you must know. . .this does resemble the model I had made, yes." Noin said, glancing at the blueprints.

"Does this also resemble it?" Rachel stepped forward, giving her a paper.

"Yes, it does. . .they both have pieces of the design for the mobile suit. . .where did you get these?" Noin asked, looking concerned.

"Rachel drew them up a few minutes ago, they're designs of two mobile suits created in the original track of our lives before she came and changed things. . ." Heero said.

"Yeah, sorry, you didn't have the pleasure of going into space or meeting any of the scientists or almost getting killed tons of times." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"This isn't good though. . .if this model she had made is a combination of the two then. . ." Heero began thinking over the situation.

"Then it's unstoppable. . ." Rachel whispered, realizing the extent of the damage it could do if in the wrong hands. She leapt forward, grabbing Noin by the shoulders and saying, "Noin, you have to destroy this thing, before it's too late!"

"Rachel, what are you talking about! This is the best defense we have against those war plotting maniacs!"

"You have no idea to what extent this thing can cause damage. . .the carnage. . .Noin, you can't let it exist." Rachel begged.

"I can't destroy it. . ." Noin said.

"Noin, you have to!"

"I can't, I don't have it!" She exclaimed.

"What do you mean! Was it stolen!"

"No, the doctor still has it, it hasn't been shipped yet. . ."

"Then take us to the doctor." Heero said in a demanding tone.

"I can't do that either, he moves around every time I meet with him. Who knows where he could be now. . ."

"We do. . ." Heero said, glancing up at Rachel.

"This would be considered an emergency so I'm allowing the use of powers at this point." Rachel said, nodding to Heero. He closed his eyes and focused on the location of Doctor J, closing in and saying, "Let's go."

"It's time, let's go." Sopher said, fixing the collar of his black button up shirt.

"Don't forget to call in every 30 minutes if you can, you have 7 hours and 15 minutes to complete your rescue mission. Move out!" Dextosterone said, typing in the beginning of their logs for the mission. They dashed across the campus and headed toward the clock tower, not seeing anyone near it.

__

Maybe they're on the other side. Sopher thought to himself as he slowed down and walked toward the tower, sneaking around to the other side where he heard hushed voices. Iceman quietly followed him around until he froze in his steps.

"GAH!"An arm reached around the tower and grabbed Sopher's shirt, yanking him around and behind the wall. Iceman began to sweat as he jumped around the building and yelled, "HEY!"

"Another one! Who sent you two!" A man shouted as two others grabbed Iceman and held him.

" 'ey, chill out! Tim told us there was a great new club to join an' we was to meet yin's here for initiation!" Sopher said in a southern accent, looking afraid for his life at the large man's mercy. The man eyed him and let him go, saying, "Ya don't say. . ."

"Ain't yin's the guys we're s'pose to meet?"

"Maybe. . .what're your names?" The man looked the two over curiously.

"My name's Topher, and this here's James! We're the best men yin's could ever want, I reckon!"

"I'm sure. . .are you good at fighting or flying aircrafts?"

"Ain't I! Useta fly my dad's crop duster every week! And I reckon all that wrestlin' with the hogs done worked up a few muscles in me!" Sopher said with a broad grin.

"And you? Are you any good at anything?" The man motioned to Iceman.

"I'm from Minnisooda, I carried begs of feed for the cows, don'tcha know. . ." Iceman grinned.

"Yeah. . .alright, you look pretty sturdy, let's go." The man walked across the road to a van waiting for them to load in.

__

We're in. . .now it's only a matter of time. . .Sopher thought to himself as he sat next to Iceman and gave him a side glance and said, "This here's gonna be excitin'!"

"Don'tcha know!" Iceman cheered. They pulled out of the parking lot and headed off down the road to Cumberland Falls and the headquarters of the enemy. An hour later, they were in the park and pulling in the lot by the park's pool.

__

6 hours left. . .better hurry this up. Sopher thought to himself as he followed the group over to a path leading through the forest.

"Don't get lost cause we're not coming back for you." The man in lead said, trooping down the dirt path. It twisted up and down hills and over fallen trees until they reached a paved path leading to the falls.

"Ah, I love the sound of rushin' water!" Sopher exclaimed, taking a deep breath of the clean mountain air.

__

Thanks, now I gotta pee. . .Iceman thought to himself, trying to drown out the sounds of the fall with thoughts of video games far off in his bedroom.

"This way, and don't go looking at all the souvenirs. . ." The man lead them into a shop by the fall and through the aisles of gifts and do dads everywhere. They walked back to a door marked 'Storeroom" and he opened it, walking in and going on through the darkness inside.

"Where are we? I can't see a dang thi-OOFH!" Sopher ran into the man in front of him as he stopped.

"Quiet. . ." The man hissed and he obeyed. Suddenly, a light came on and they found themselves in a long hallway leading to another door. The man in lead opened it and led them down a series of stairs that seemed to go on forever.

__

Geez, haven't they ever heard of elevators! Iceman huffed along, feeling the burn in his thighs as they kept on going. Finally, the stairs ended at yet another door, this one was locked with a swipe key access only. The man pulled out a card and swiped it through the slot, hearing a beep and opening the door. A bright light flooded the stairwell and everyone squinted as they entered a large cave.

"Welcome to headquarters, follow me and I'll take you to the one in command." The man said, walking across the room past many technicians working on various unknown things.

"Wow. . .are we in a cave beneath the falls?" Sopher asked dumbly.

"We're in the cave behind the fall, no one can access it by boat because of the strong current created by the falling water."

"Naturally. . ." They arrived at an office and the man knocked, saying, "More recruits, sir!"

"Bring them in. . ." A feminine voice called out and the man opened the door. As they walked in, Sopher's eyes locked onto the one in charge.

__

Sara Sachs. . .He thought as she said, "Welcome to NeOZ (Neo OZ), I am the second in command in charge of this little organization, you won't be seeing the Commander until he's. . .living once more."

__

Living. . .once more? Iceman was disturbed by this comment.

"Uh. . .excuse me, ma'am. . .?" Sopher raised his hand cautiously. She cocked an eyebrow and said, "What."

"Well. . .what exactly do ya mean by livin' again? Is he in a coma or somethin'?"

"Not exactly. . .meet our commander and chief, Treize Kushrenada." Sara stepped aside and pulled back a curtain, revealing the very man she spoke of, laying in eternal slumber behind glass.

__

This could only mean one thing. . .they don't want the hostages, they want. . .

"Rachel, what is it?" Heero asked as they appeared in a large docking bay containing a covered structure.

"Something doesn't feel right. . .quick, go invisible!" She said before vanishing. The others did likewise and as soon as they did, a group of people entered the room.

"I told you it was here, you make me feel like you don't trust me, Lieutenant Widener." Doctor J slowly strolled across the expanse of the dock, looking up at the monstrous beast veiled under a huge drape.

"How do I know that's actually it under there?" Chris said, not sounding shaken by the guilt trip.

"It takes me forever to get that thing covered up, sir, must I take it off? You have my word, it's under there. . ."

"You better not be lying, old man. . .have this thing ready for shipment in less than an hour or else. . .you hear me?" Chris turned and stalked off out of the bay, leaving the doctor to stare up at his creation.

"Well. . .seems you've caused me quite the dilemma, my child. . .what shall I do?" Doctor J said.

"You have three choices: Supply it to the Sanc Kingdom, supply it to the enemy, or destroy it and the plans and hide away. . ." Doctor J turned to see Heero standing behind him with the others feet away.

"Still quiet as ever. . .now you're giving me the orders? How the tide does turn. . ." Doctor J smiled as he admired how grown up Heero looked, "You still have those deathly deep blue eyes, but. . .they seem different now. . ."

"I've seen a lot, Doctor J. . .but what I see right now is betrayal. . .whose side are you on?" Heero said as he approached the scientist.

"No one's. . ."

"So you're just in it for the money?" Rachel asked.

"Perhaps. . .a man's gotta eat." Doctor J said, turning away.

"Don't you mean a man's gotta pay for his devious plans on the side?" Heero asked, glaring at the back of the man's head.

"Whatever. . ."

"I don't like your attitude. . .how would you like it if I killed you right now and spoiled all your precious plans?"

"Heero, you can't kill him!" Rachel said.

"Why not? Keeps him from making any more of these. . ." Heero looked up at the mobile suit.

"You can't kill him. . .okay? Now, Doctor J, can you keep this mobile suit a secret? I'll pay you any amount of money just to keep this off the market, I'll fund your experiments if you want but please. . .keep this out of enemy hands." Rachel said, trying to be as sincere as possible. He seemed to consider it for a moment before saying, "You must be rich to make such a bold statement, how do I know you will keep to your word?"

"As much as we know that's really the mobile suit under there. . ." She said, raising her eyebrows. The doctor chuckled and said, "I like you, you have spirit! It's a deal. . .now, shall we discuss these terms?"

"I'd love to but we have some friends of ours to save, thank you for your cooperation, Doctor J." Rachel bowed and turned to the others.

"That was too easy. . .since when have you been the negotiator?" Milliardo asked her as they walked away.

"Eh. . .I just know where he's coming from. . ." She shrugged.

"And where are you going to get tons of money from, miss wannabe poor person. . ." Heero queried, glaring at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I have my ways. . .let's head back and check on the status of the situation, shall we?" They vanished and returned to the capitol to find Quatre frantically looking for them.

"Heero! Where have you been! This isn't the time to be running off without warning!" Quatre exclaimed as he ran up.

"What's your problem, Quatre?" Heero said, crossing his arms.

"It's. . .it's Trowa, he's disappeared!"

"What!" Everyone shouted in unison at the new surprise.

"Great, that idiot's probably gone to get them back on his own. . ." Heero muttered as he ran off to find the others to check if they'd seen him before going on a search.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I created a new type of mobile suit called the SS series, with Propylon being the very first of them. I also created the organization "NeOZ", in case I haven't mentioned it

Chapter 18

"Good work, cadets, you'll be fine pilots some day!" The instructor announced to all the men recruited for NeOZ as they trained in flight simulators.

"Sir, just curious, when do we get to train in actual mobile suits? It's been so long since a real one has been seen anywhere on the Earth or Colonies!" Sopher called out.

"A shipment is being sent in soon, you will all have the honor of piloting the first in the generation of warrior suits, Propylon SS." The instructor said with a great pride.

"SS, sir?"

"Space Suit, we're waging this war is space, cadet! This old world would fall apart if we stage the rebellion here!"

__

Propylon SS. . .I'm sure our superiors would love to here about this. . .Sopher thought, glancing at Iceman training just feet away. After their session, the two walked back to their quarters to make their hourly report.

"I can't wait to get this stupid peacetime over with, it's making me sick!" Iceman said, just as a cover.

"I know. . .maybe we'll get to 'accidentally' take out the queen. . ." Sopher said with a wink.

"God save the queen. . ." They walked into their room and closed the door, immediately switching on their transmitter. They heard a beep and began talking.

"When do you think that new model of suit will come in?" Sopher said, sitting down on his bed.

"Dunno, but it's got such a sweet name! Propylon SS. . .it's got a nice ring to it. . .and we get to fight in space!"

"Yeah. . .I wonder when the war is scheduled to start. . ."

"They never said, just said it was soon. . ."

"Oh well, guess we'll just have to wait." Sopher shut off the transmission and said, "Let's study our flight manuals a little before dinner!"

"Good work, guys. . ." Dextosterone said to himself, typing up a report before yawning and looking at the clock. A knock sounded on his door and he called out, "Come in!"

"Hey, Dex, we're gonna head down to dinner soon, you in?" Playa asked, poking his head in the door.

"Yeah sure, the guys just reported in." Dextosterone said, setting down his headset and scooting back his chair.

"I hope they've gotten far enough in, there's only 4 hours left."

"I know. . .they know. . .I'm sure they're getting closer to calling you guys in. Let's eat!" They headed downstairs and went into the cafeteria for dinner.

Heero cursed under his breath as he stared off into the distance.

"No luck finding Trowa, huh?" Rachel said, walking up to him. He turned and said, "I can't find a single trace of him anywhere. . ."

"Most likely cloaked his tracks so we couldn't follow him or stop him."

"Why, we have someone on the inside doing the work."

"Heero, it's the same as with Chang. . .you know he's dying every second he has to just wait for his loved ones to die, he can't handle it."

"Loved 'ones'?"

"Yes, Precious and Hope. . ."

"I thought she was just a baby sitter. . ." Heero cocked his eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"Seriously, Heero. . .I thought you were smarter than that. . ." Rachel rolled her eyes as she walked off to find the others. She ran across Duo in the parlor poking at some food. He looked up when he heard her enter the room and mumbled a hello. As she sat next to him, she said, "Not hungry?" He shook his head and she said, "Are you worried about the others?"

"Sorta. . ." He said, setting the food on the coffee table and leaning back, resting his cheek on his hand as he sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll save them. . .this war is nothing."

"Nothing? How can you say that, Rachel! You don't seriously think it's just some ripple in a pond, just fades away as soon as it appears!"

"Duo. . ." She drew back a little, insulted by his sudden outburst. He relaxed and said, "I'm sorry, Rachel. . .It's just. . .I dread having to go back to war again. I hated it the first time, it took everything I loved away from me and. . .I don't want that risk again. . ."

"I know how you feel. . ." She said, wrapping her arms around his and leaning her head on his shoulder, saying, "We won't let it happen. . ."

"I hope not. . ." He said, staring up at the ceiling. As Rachel began to wonder what they were going to do to stop this from happening, Heero came into the room and said, "I'm contacting the dorks, we need to inform them of Trowa's disappearance."

"Disappearance? Ah great, now everything's ruined!" Duo threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Calm down, we can handle this. . .at least we don't have to worry about the mobile suit."

"Mobile suit!" Duo stared at Heero and Rachel in confusion.

"Nevermind. I'll be right back." Heero left the room and Duo started hollering on about being left out of the loop. Entering his office, Heero dialed up the phone number given to him by Milliardo in order to contact the team.

__

They better be there. . .

"Hello, this is the Dex." Dextosterone said royally as he answered his cell phone.

Cut the act, we have an issue. Heero snapped at him.

"Yes?"

Mr. Barton has been working on a disappearing act recently and it worked. . .if you catch my drift.

"Was this his idea?"

All the way, most likely.

"Alright, we'll keep an eye out for him. Anything else, sir?"

No. Heero hung up and Dextosterone turned off his phone, looking up at Miguel and Playa who were glancing at him between bites.

"It seems our friends will be having a visitor. . .I need to go back to my room and make a 'call'." He got up and disposed of the rest of his dinner in the trash before setting up the dishes and heading back to the dorms. He walked into his room and sat in front of the computer, quickly typing up a message to send to their inside contacts.

__

Hopefully Sopher won't freak out when he gets this. . .Dextosterone thought as he clicked "send".

"Eep!" Sopher jump slightly as he felt the communication clip on his belt begin vibrating. He froze and paid close attention to the buzzes. They stopped and he settled back down into his seat as he thought, _Trowa Barton might be here. . .well, that's helpful, good thing we know Morris code or this might have made things difficult! Woah, in coming! _He grabbed the steering of the flight simulator and dodged some oncoming enemy fire, letting out a sigh as he aimed his gun and blew the opposing suits out of the sky. After training, he found Iceman and grabbed him, pulling him aside and whispering, "Time to end the games. . .come on." Iceman nodded and they slipped out of sight, quickly running back to their room to signal Dextosterone to send over the others. Hitting the com link, Sopher said, "Backup, now!" A confirmation beep returned and they pulled out their hidden weaponry.

"Come on, we have to make our way to the security room and take out the outside surveillance before the others get here." Sopher said, running to the door.

"Do you think we'll make it there? I don't like the looks of that second in command. . ." Iceman commented, tucking the gun away in the back of his pants as he joined Sopher by the door. He shrugged and put away his gun, quietly opening the door and peeking out into the hallway to find the coast clear. They took off down the hallway, avoiding being seen by any of the cameras as they made their way toward the center of the base. As they reached the security, they heard a hiss and Iceman turned to see the head scientist standing in the shadows.

"Where are you going? Shouldn't you be in training?" Mr. Hearn asked, cocking an eyebrow as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and crossed them over his chest.

"Uh. . .we're late for a meeting with the hands-on combat instructor, we've been picked for the ground troops!" Sopher said with a smile, starting to dash down the hall when Mr. Hearn called out, "That's nice. . .if there was such a thing." Sopher turned on his heels and pulled out the gun, saying, "Alright, so you caught us. . .don't think you'll get the chance to run and tattle."

"Why would I do such a thing? I don't even like that bratty commander. . .I want to help you."

"You think I'm gonna believe you?"

"Yes, since if you kill me or take me hostage, your friends down there will die."

"How so?"

"Well, I'm the only person capable of working the machine. . .you'd never figure out how to get them out of there alive. . ."

"Perhaps. . .then what, we're just suppose to let you go about your business like we never crossed paths?"

"No. . .like I said, I want to help you. Personally, I think this whole operation is B.S. and it's just a façade to cover up other intentions."

"Oh? Such as?"

"Did you meet our true commander?" Mr. Hearn raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side.

"Um. . .yeah. . .but he's-"

"Dead? Yeah, we kind of noticed. . .but someone made him that way. . .and that someone will be here any minute, if the commander gets her way."

"I don't understand. . ." Sopher frowned.

"You will soon enough. . .for now, follow me and I'll take you to the security center safely." Mr. Hearn walked up to them and Sopher cocked the gun at him, saying, "Why should we trust you not to turn us in?"

"Because. . .I don't want to be here any more than you do. Are you coming or what?" He went on down the hallway and the others exchanged glances before following him. Mr. Hearn knocked on the security room door and it slid open.

"Professor Hearn!" The man in command saluted and the others stood with him. Quickly returning the favor with a lazy swipe of his forehead, Mr. Hearn said, "I came by with replacement men for your guards, Lieutenant Wasielewski, tell them to go get some rest."

"Thank you, sir, you're a lifesaver. Men, move out!" Lieutenant Wasielewski turned to the two men stationed at the security console and they saluted, leaving and letting Iceman and Sopher take their places.

__

This seems all too easy. . .what's this guy's angle? Sopher thought as he got accustomed to the controls.

"Lieutenant, go join your men in the mess hall, I know you haven't been on break in hours." Mr. Hearn said to the command officer.

"Sir!" He saluted and left the commanding to Mr. Hearn. Closing the door behind him, Mr. Hearn said, "There. . .do whatever it is you had in mind and get out of here."

"We can't leave, our mission isn't over until we have our objectives safe and sound." Sopher said as he began shutting down the systems.

"You're not serious, are you? Commander Sachs would never let you get out of here alive!" Mr. Hearn exclaimed.

"Who said anyone was gonna 'let' us leave? We're taking this place out before they can cause anymore damage, as per orders."

"You're insane, you have no idea what you're going up against. . ."

"Care to inform us, then?"

"Take my advice, save yourselves! Your friends are as good as dead, there's no way you can stop it from happening."

"Says you!" Iceman exclaimed, pushing back his chair and glaring down the short scientist.

"Iceman, chill out! We can't afford to lose our focus now. . .just get your job done and we'll move on to the next stage of the rescue mission."

"Iceman? Oh my-wait, you're them!" Mr. Hearn said, his eyes widening.

"Huh?" Iceman frowned, settling back into his chair.

"You're that bunch of idiots the Sanc Council sent after us! They didn't think you had even gotten here yet, how in the world-"

"IDIOTS! Why I oughta-" Iceman growled but Sopher grabbed his arm.

"They know about us?"

"Yeah. . .they had a little help."

"Who?"

"The only thing standing in your way of saving those people. . .trust me, you don't want to know. . .just go!"

"Shutup! We're not a bunch of pushovers like you might think! We don't go home until they say so. . .so. . .we're sticking it out until the very end!" Sopher said, getting fierce with his words.

"You have no idea what a mistake you're making staying here. . .don't you even care that you may die!" For a brief moment, Sopher didn't say anything, swallowing hard before muttering, "If this is how we must die, then I am glad it is such a noble cause. . ."

"There is nothing noble in throwing your lives away to save lost souls. . ." Mr. Hearn whispered, seeming to pity them for what he took to be stupidity.

"Aren't we all lost souls? What would we do if we turned away from this and only thought of ourselves? If we didn't risk it to save those people then. . .everyone suffers. . .we have to try. Besides, I know where I'm going if I die."

"Where you're. . .going? What, into a casket?"

"No. . .a much better place than this dump. . .Heaven."

"Heaven. . .I almost forgot about that place. . .living in this world makes you forget such things even exist. . .well, I suppose I can't stop you then. I have to get back to my post before they get suspicious. . .I wish you both Godspeed." With that, the scientist left the room quietly and made his way to the nearest elevator.

__

Heaven. . .could God still love me enough to let me in? After all the evil I've allowed to happen, helped to create. . .how could he? Of any place, God's the farthest from here, there's so much evil and sin he wouldn't want anything to do with it. He'd never notice if I died. . .I'd just fade into eternity with all the other lost souls of the ages. . .just fade away. . .

"Fade. . .away." Mr. Hearn whispered, leaning against the inside wall of the elevator, staring off into space.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Mr. Hearn, where have you been?" Sara stood leaning against the control panel with her arms crossed over her chest, facing the elevator as she awaited his return. Hiding his nervousness, he said boldly, "A man's gotta eat, are you going to starve me? You know I work better on a full stomach." She glared at him, slowing pushing off the panel and sauntering over to him. She poked a finger into his shoulder and said in a low voice, "Next time. . .tell me or else you'll be eating through a tube."

"Point taken. Can I get back to my work?" He said impatiently. She stepped back and said, "Of course. . .but I just want you to know this. I give the orders, you do what I say. Get the picture? Good, now do whatever it is you do." She stalked over to the elevator and pressed the up button. With a soft sigh, Mr. Hearn approached his station and started a diagnostic check on the systems to make sure they were still running perfectly.

"Oh, Mr. Hearn! I almost forgot the reason I came down here." Sara turned back around and faced the scientist. He whirled around and said, "Yes?"

"There's been some reports of disturbances in the area so. . .if anything out of the ordinary seems to happen, do report it to me."

"Of course. . ." The elevator door opened and she stepped in, the door closing quickly behind her. Mr. Hearn leaned on the panel and said in a low whisper, "Those guys are going to get themselves caught if they're not careful."

"Chris, how are things going?" Sara walked up to her partner in command, sitting on his desk and resting a hand on it. He looked up from his computer and said, "Not very well actually. Apparently, there's been two cadets missing from training for the past half an hour and no one's seen them."

"Really. . .who are they?" Clicking a few buttons, two I.D. listings popped onto the screen.

"Cadets Topher Ace and James Band. They just came in an hour or so ago. . ."

"I think I remember them. . .I thought there was something odd about them. Looks like we have our spies, they shouldn't have been here for another few ho-" Suddenly, the power shut off in the base and they both jumped to their feet.

"They've gotten into the control center, but how. . ."

"I don't care, we have to stop them!" Sara and Chris ran for the door, whipping it open and dashing down the hallway to find their squads.

"Commander Sachs, the whole base has been put on lock down! We can't get in or out of this place without power to run the blast doors and elevators!" A lieutenant ran up to them in a panic.

"Then get together your men and head to the control center, immediately!" Sara shouted.

"Yes, ma'am!" He ran off and Sara turned to Chris.

"It's time to let out our trump card, Chris." He nodded and they made their way down the halls as the emergency red lights flashed on and lit the way.

"Our job's done here, let's go before they send a squad after us." Sopher said, getting up from his chair. As soon as he walked toward the door, he heard voices outside.

"The door's jammed, sir, we can't open it!"

"Then blast it open, whoever's in there has a date with their maker!"

__

Crud, they're already here. Sopher thought, turning to Iceman who was standing next to him looking concerned. Looking around, Sopher spotted a vent up on the wall and motioned Iceman to follow his lead.

"Hurry up, we have to get the power back before our security is compromised any further! FASTER!" The lieutenant yelled at the cadets using their laser guns to blast open the door. Finally, they broke through and kicked down the door, running in to find the room deserted. The lieutenant stepped in and looked around, spotting the vent grate laying on the floor.

"They're in the ventilation! We'll smoke them out if we have to. . .get some smoke bombs and launch them in there, they can't crawl that fast." One of the cadets ran out of the room to retrieve a couple smoke bombs and a launcher.

"Move it, Iceman, we have to get to the docking bay before they cut us off!" Sopher said, crawling as fast as he could with Iceman close behind. Suddenly, they heard sounds of something ricocheting off the metal shaft and looked back to see a cloud of smoke coming their way.

"Hold your breath!" Sopher said as he gasped in some air and kept crawling. They made it about 10 more feet before coughing and gagging on the smoke. Seeing another grate next to him, Sopher desperately knocked it out and fell out of the shaft, tumbling across the floor with Iceman behind him. Hearing clicks, they both looked up to see a circle of guards around them.

"Well, I guess the ventilation's not the fastest way to the cafeteria!" Sopher joked before being hauled to his feet and handcuffed.

"You thought you were so smart, didn't you? Move it! The commander wants to have a talk with you." As they were pushed down the hall, Sopher thought, _I hope we bought them enough time. . .good luck, guys._

Miguel and Playa slipped into the outside ventilation, quietly making their way down to the lower level laboratory. Along their way, they heard a conversation being carried on nearby them in one of the hallways.

"Mr. Barton should be here soon, let us wait for him with the prisoners."

"Wouldn't he have a hard time breaking through all of the security we've set up?"

"This is one of the Gundam pilots we're talking about. . .if they ended a war, they can deal with a few guards." Miguel looked at Playa and they crawled further.

__

So they know he's coming? But how? Who tipped them off? Playa thought to himself, turning a corner and finding a long drop in the shaft. He pulled out his grappling hook and firmly attached it to the metal floor beneath him, sliding down the tunnel to the bottom where he landed and scoped out the situation. Miguel followed close behind as Playa motioned to go left at the conjunction. They crawled about 30 feet before stopping and peering through a grate. Before them was a dark room that was filled with the low hum of machinery.

__

Must be the place. . .now where is everyone. . .They crawled a little further until they reached another grate and looked down to see a barely visible form with its back to them. As they quietly unscrewed the grate, they heard a ding and soft whoosh of metal sliding past metal.

"Mr. Hearn, we found some friends of yours having fun with our security! Care to explain yourself?" Sara strode into the room, being closely followed by her second in command, Chris, and the guards hauling Sopher and Iceman with them.

"Friends? I thought they had all been killed by people like you. . .oh wait, they were." Mr. Hearn turned around, crossing his arms.

"Don't be smart with me, Lieutenant Wasielewski told me all about how you took his men off duty and sent him away. . .right before he died." Sara smirked, placing her hands on her hips. Mr. Hearn glared at her, saying, "And you're going to believe him? What makes you think he wasn't in on it too?"

"Because his story would explain your disappearance from your post."

"I told you, I was hungry. I took a stroll down the hallway to get some fresh air and then came back down. Anything wrong with that?"

"If it were true, no. . .but it's not."

"Got any proof I'm lying other than a dead man's word?"

"I won't tolerate cheekiness in my organization!"

"I thought it was Commander Treize's organization. . .or didn't you intend to ever revive His Excellency?"

"SILENCE!" Sara drew her sword and lunged forward in a fencing position, the tip of the blade digging into Mr. Hearn's chest. He fell back against the control panel, looking surprised as sweat began to break through his pores. She slowly crept closer to him, the sword all along getting closer and closer to stabbing into his heart. In a deep, passionate voice, Sara growled, "How dare you betray me, with all that is at stake? You're a bigger fool than I ever thought you were. Chris!"

"Ma'am!" Chris saluted in attention.

"Terminate the power to the second prison block."

"NO!" Mr. Hearn exclaimed, feeling the blade dig deeper into his chest and cringing.

"DO IT, NOW!" Sara yelled over her shoulder. Chris nodded and walked toward the prison block, Mr. Hearn's eyes desperately darted over to where he was going.

"Please, Commander Sachs, don't do this. . ." Mr. Hearn pleaded.

"Give me a reason why." She hissed deeply, staring cruelly into his eyes.

"Because. . .if you kill them, you're killing your hostages."

"I was going to do that anyway, what's your point."

"I've connected their vital signs together so if one of them dies, they all die. If you kill your hostages now, the others will have no reason to NOT blow this base to kingdom come!"

"You little-"

"And if you kill me, the same will happen. . ." With a scream of anger, Sara grabbed him and threw him to the ground behind her, yelling, "How DARE you undermine my authority! Perhaps a little bit of 'reprogramming' will break that spirited soul of yours. GUARDS, take Mr. Hearn to the Second floor liberation room."

"No, NO, YOU CAN'T!" Mr. Hearn screamed, trying to desperately get away as the guards grabbed him and carried him kicking and screaming all the way to the elevator.

"Liberation room?" Sopher glanced at Iceman who looked a little nervous.

"That's the commander's name for the torture chamber." The guard holding him whispered with a grin. Sopher's eyes widened in shock and he turned to Sara, saying, "You can't do this, you might kill him! I thought you needed him!"

"I don't need some sassy scientist who thinks he can intimidate me with mere threats. . .I could care less if they die now or later, no one could tell the difference. And no one WILL tell, either." Sara glared fiercely at them as she replaced her sword in its sheath and called out to Chris. He came back and she said, "We'll let his family live a little longer, at least until their use is expired. Put these two somewhere out of sight and ready the guards for our guest's arrival." Chris nodded and began to lead the guards to the elevator when a low rumble echoed through the room, shaking the foundation below their feet.

"He's here." Sara muttered, looking around in anticipation of his appearance. She walked up to Chris and said, "We'll wait here, he'll find it'll be a bit harder to just pop in on us soon. Handcuff them in Mr. Hearn's quarters so they're out of the way." As they carried the rebels away, the elevator door rung and opened, revealing the person they were eagerly waiting for.

"Ah, I see he's here already. . ." Chris said, standing next to Sara. Trowa stepped out and said, "Where are they."

"Right behind us." Sara said, her arms crossed smugly over her chest. He began to walk forward when she put up a hand, saying, "Ah, now now. . .you can't just waltz in here and think we'd freely give them to you. Remember, we had a ransom for their pathetic souls."

"No deal, now move if you know what's good for you." He raised his hand to her but stopped, looking surprised.

"Awe, I think he's finally realized he's having problems performing. . ." Chris smirked.

"What. . ." Trowa muttered, looking at his hand in confusion. Then it finally hit him and he stared at them, "No. . .you. . .you couldn't have. . ."

"Couldn't have what? Oh, are you referring to our friend?" Sara snapped her fingers and a figure stepped out of the shadows, causing Trowa's eyes to narrow.

"I guess they've met previously." Chris whispered.

"Michael." Trowa growled, spitefully staring at the solemn man standing by the prisoners.

"Heero, how could you let him out of your sight, he'll ruin everything! We have to stop him or. . .or something!" Quatre carried on in flustered nervousness.

"Calm down, Quatre, nothing will happen to them." Heero said, his fiercely irritated eyes darting over to Rachel. Furrowing his brow, he said, "What are you doing, Rachel?" She sat on the base of the stairs, hunched over her clenched hands. Duo walked in and rested a hand on Heero's shoulder, whispering, "She's praying. . .for their safety, I guess."

"Praying. . .why? How will that change anything?"

"It gives her strength and power, she told me that God gives her the might to bring down her enemies through the prayers she utters. . ."

"Hmm. . ." He stepped over to her and knelt before her. She looked up and stared into his eyes as he said, "I want to be strong. . .show me how to 'pray'."

"Remember what I told you earlier about this? God can't hear you if you haven't accepted Him. . ."

"I know. . .but. . .pray with me. . .for me." She nodded and took his hands, closing her eyes and uttering whispers of prayers and cries for help. Duo glanced at Quatre who looked curious. Duo nodded to him and they joined the two on the stairs and linked their hands, feeling God's power flowing through them. Wufei wandered into the hallway in search of his comrades and saw them sitting around the stairs.

"Why are you four sitting around at a time like this! We have to-" Rachel looked up with a peaceful smile and said, "We were preparing."

"Preparing?" Chang looked confused. They all stood and Heero said, "Wufei, I have a plan I want to test out, mind helping me convince my wife to go along with it?"

"Certainly. . .what is it?" As Heero walked away with Chang, quickly explaining his idea, the others turned to each other and exchanged worried glances before following.

"Absolutely not! I won't allow it, Heero!" Relena argued with her husband after hearing his plan of attack.

"Relena. . ." Heero was getting exhausted by her refusals to listen to him, trying to remain calm and collected.

"Relena, we all understand your situation and what doing this might say about your governing, but it's our only hope. Please understand our situation as well. . ." Rachel pleaded, motioning to the others around her. Relena stared at Chang's depressed expression, feeling empathy for his pain. Letting her head fall, she said, "If it's the only way. . ."

"I'm afraid it is, we'd simply teleport into their facility but something's blocking our powers from reaching the inside." Heero explained.

"I don't know how far Trowa's gotten but I figure he's not doing much better himself." Rachel said. Standing, Relena turned to Heero and said, "Well then, shall we go?"

"Yes, Zechs and Noin have volunteered to stay behind in case things get messy. They want you to stay too."

"Heero, I-" Relena tried to protest.

"You are what they want, Relena, the last thing I am going to do is walk right into their fortress with the Prime Minister! Zechs will be over in a few minutes to stay with you while we're gone, so don't worry." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and turned to the others, saying, "Follow me, we'll head out immediately. Quatre, are you ready?" Quatre was glancing back through the doorway and brought his attention back to the conversation when he heard his name called.

"Huh? Oh, yes, I was just making sure Sayla was alright." Heero nodded and closed his eyes, disappearing with the group to the caves storing his secret ship. They made their way through the tunnels to the cavern the ship was resting in and entered it quickly. Taking his place at the helm, Heero said, "Take a seat and get ready, I'll teleport the ship outside and get us as close to the facility as possible before we have to go there manually." Everyone got situated and he started the engines before sending the ship outside.

"This is it, whatever happens I hope we make it out alive. . ." Duo said solemnly.

"It's my job to be the negative one here. . .try cheering up a little bit." Heero said, glancing over his shoulder. Duo smirked briefly before saying, "Well, you were busy driving, I figured I'd cover that for you."

"Thanks. . .I can multi-task, you know. Alright, let's move out. Systems: Go!" The ship magically appeared over the Appalachian mountain chain and Heero pulled back on the acceleration. The ship kicked into high speed, rocking through the air as they made their way to Kentucky's Cumberland Falls in a matter of minutes.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"How could you. . ." Trowa glared at the solemn looking figure half in the shadows.

"That is of no concern now. We had a deal?" Sara said, getting serious and annoyed.

"I said no deal, didn't I?"

"He says no deal. . .I guess he doesn't care about his friends and little daughter." She spoke the last words mockingly with a grin as she turned and headed toward the control panel. Trowa took a step forward and Chris pulled out a gun, training it on Trowa's chest.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Chris said, nodding his head for Trowa to back up.

"Oh don't worry, Mr. Barton, I won't kill them. . .yet." She pressed a few buttons as she had seen Mr. Hearn do and woke Hope from her slumber.

"Oh. . ." Hope moaned, weakly opening her eyes and looking up to see Trowa, "T-Trowa?"

"Hope. . ." Trowa softly whined, his face fighting the sadness inside him wanting to make him break into tears.

"So you two do know each other, how pleasant." Sara smiled sarcastically.

"She's just my daughter's sitter, why do you think she was with her when you kidnapped Precious?" Trowa tried to seem uncaring as to Hope's fate.

"Uh huh. . .you seemed forlorn a second ago, don't think your dumb military training will hide little breaks in your acting." Sara seemed unamused as she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"I-I am just his daughter's sitter, he hired me to watch her for the weekend while he was at work." Hope tried to help but it didn't seem to work.

"I saw all three of you eating lunch together, or was that part of his work?" Chris asked, still locked onto Trowa.

"He was on a break so. . .he wanted to at least have a little time with Precious. I was still watching her, so that is why I-"

"I've heard enough. You are a weak liar, Miss Hope." Sara glared up at her in anger.

"What reason do I have to lie? You will kill me either way whether I mean something to him or not, because I have seen too much. Am I right?" Hope said seriously.

"She's got a point." Chris gave her the benefit of the doubt, believing her reasoning.

"I suppose. So you mean nothing to him. . ." Sara wasn't completely sure yet. Looking up at Trowa, Hope said slowly, ". . .Absolutely nothing, business is all there is to it."

__

Hope. . .you're so strong. . .Trowa thought, knowing her pain to just say that much. He had sensed long ago she had feelings for him and he was burning inside with the desire to rescue her from her fate. She didn't deserve this but what could he possibly do to save her now, he was in no position to be the hero.

"Let us speak now to your little angel then, if this life is nothing but a hired slave." Sara turned and woke Precious next. Slowly, her little eyelids flickered open and she immediately spotted her father and screamed out to him. Trowa couldn't take this as he cried out her name and lurched forward. The second he moved, Chris pulled the trigger and caught his shoulder with a bullet, sending him stumbling back in pain.

"DADDY! LEAVE MY DADDY ALONE, YOU MONSTERS!" Precious screamed to them, fighting the restraints and hurting herself in the process as she whimpered.

__

This isn't right. . .Michael thought to himself, watching Trowa stagger back to where he had been, clutching the wound that was now in his right shoulder.

"Now that's more like it!" Sara shouted, pulling forth a gun and aiming it in Precious' direction.

"NO!" Trowa exclaimed, his eyes wide with fear.

"I won't shoot her. . .yet. But if you try anything sneaky I will. Now, we had an agreement, did we not? I don't like being disappointed."

"Why don't you get her yourselves, or are you too lazy to do the hard work?" Trowa growled, feeling the life draining from him slowly.

"Well, if you hadn't noticed, we're only safe from your powers when he's around, so unless we take him with us that can't be done." Sara motioned to Michael who glanced up in her direction, then Trowa's. Trowa eyed him curiously and Michael gently shook his head.

__

They don't know that he can teleport. . .Trowa knew now why they hadn't made a move on their own to take over the world.

"I don't have time for this, our visitors should be here soon and then we can continue our conversation. Until then, you can sit with the others in our late scientist's room." Sara motioned to Chris and he motioned to Trowa to walk in front of him. Trowa slowly wandered in the direction Chris pointed him in and was soon locked inside the small quarters.

"Mr. Barton! You're alive! I heard a gun fire and thought the worst." Iceman said half cheerfully as Trowa sat on the floor by the door. Sopher watched him for a second before saying, "You're hurt, sir."

"I noticed." Trowa began tending to his wound manually as best he could in his situation. Sopher looked up at the door and said in a low whisper, "What does this mean? Did we fail?" Trowa didn't respond as he silently wrapped his shoulder with stripes of his shirt. With solemn glances, the two spies returned to sitting in quiet contemplation.

"We're almost there, get ready for an assault." Heero said, bringing the ship into the forested park and searching out the falls facade.

"Weapons fully loaded and ready." Chang said, clicking closed the last gun and handing it to Duo. Looking down at the gun, Duo said quietly, "I never imagined having to handle one of these again. . .are we doing the right thing fighting them like this?"

"We have no other choices, Duo. . .it's either fight or surrender, and I'm not in the mood for giving up." Quatre answered his friend, cocking up his 44 with an uneasy but prepared expression.

"Giving up is dishonorable, I would rather die fighting. I will die. . .saving my wife if I must. . ." Chang said to himself, slowly drawing his katana to check its edge. The ship came to a stop and Heero said, "Is this it? The coordinates are correct."

"Yes. . .this is it." Rachel said, looking out almost nostalgically at the beautiful crystal falls cascading down the mountain cliff and carrying on down a long and winding river through the Cumberland forest.

"We'll go in through the falls, hopefully our way isn't blocked by a gate or other reinforcement. Get ready." Heero pulled back on the steering to get in line with the waterfall before shoving forward into a dive down through the water. They broke through on the opposite side and nearly collided with other docked ships.

"MOVE OUT!" Duo shouted, running for the door and pushing it open quickly. They bailed while Heero gave them cover fire from the ship, its mounted gattling guns discharging multiple rounds of ammunition on the oncoming base defense. The group made for the docking bay door and slipped into the halls, making their way to the plotted location of the prisoners.

"It should be just around this corner and down an elevator in the lower levels." Duo said, turning a corner and coming to a quick stop. The hallway was void of any life and reeked of a trap.

"We need to hurry, Maxwell, what's the matter!" Chang said, checking the halls anxiously for following attackers.

"This doesn't feel right, it was too easy. . ." Duo muttered, his instincts telling him to run.

"Who cares, there's footsteps coming this way!" Chang hissed, pushing him into the hallway. Against his will, he lead the group to the door and pushed the button, hearing a light ding as the doors opened. They quickly got in and closed the doors, relaxing for a moment while the elevator descended to the laboratory. The second the doors opened again, they dashed out to be greeted by an empty room.

"Is. . .this the right place?" Quatre asked, looking around nervously.

"ASUKA!" Chang ran across the room when he saw his wife hanging from her restraints.

"Chang, no!" Duo shouted to him. Suddenly, a shot rang out and Chang fell to the ground, clutching his leg in pain.

"We won't be having that, now will we?" Sara stepped out of the shadows, followed shortly by a team of armed guards that quickly surrounded the group. She stepped up to Chang and smirked down at him, giving him a kick in the side and sending him rolling across the floor. Quatre grit his teeth as he fought the urge to shoot her down.

"You wasted far too much of our time, gentlemen. . .and Miss Rachel. . ." Chris bowed his head to her, his gun drawn and ready to fire.

"We're here to get back our friends!" Duo said to Sara in a demanding voice.

"You're in no place to be making demands, Mr. Maxwell, considering there was a ransom for their return." Sara said, slowly strolling over to him with her gun at her shoulder casually.

"No deal."

"Well then. . ." She turned and aimed her gun at the hostages and they all yelled in protest.

"Please, be reasonable!" Rachel begged.

"Reasonable? Is asking for the world not reasonable? You thought it was when your leader took over the world with her weak pacifistic ethics and forced us all to do her bidding!"

"She only wants to unite the worlds in peace, you want to destroy that hope and bring on another war!"

"War is how we live, without war you kill people with the silence of lonely nights and the empty streets. Peace IS war, with ourselves! Those who are in denial call on peace because they do not know who they truly are. . .A WARRIOR CRAVING THE BLOOD OF WAR!"

"You're insane!" Duo said.

"Weak people want peace, because they cannot fight for what they truly want: power!"

"No, we're tired of fighting, we want to be able to walk outside without the doubt of making it home at the end of the day! To enjoy life without the aid of a weapon! To worry about what you're going to have for dinner and not whether you'll have something to eat!"

"You fools, you've been brainwashed by that pathetic woman into thinking peace is the right thing to do. . .peace does not exist, you can never convince the whole world to come to odds with each other and make amends! It's impossible! Countries have been fighting for centuries over family disputes and ancestral conflicts, it has been ingrained into their very DNA to fight one another! War makes them happy, it gives them a meaning in life. . ."

"Being a killer has no meaning, you become empty inside. . .you lose meaning and sight of why you started fighting in the first place. It's not a war you want, you want total anarchy!"

"And is there something wrong with that?" Sara grinned, tossing her long brown hair and saying, "You BORE me with your ideals. My demands are still the same and you are running out of time. Although I need Mrs. Peacecraft Yuy for my world dominance, I also need someone else's. . .aid." She stared at Rachel and she said, "Me?"

"You may recall something you did many years ago to one of the greatest rulers of our time, you do remember the assassination of Commander Khushrenada?" Rachel hesitated, saying in a lowered voice, "What of it."

"You killed him, you can bring him back to life."

"Impossible, he died over 3 years ago! I can't-" Sara motioned to the guards and they ran off as she aid, "You will do what I want, or your friends die." The guards returned with Trowa, Sopher, and Iceman in tow.

"Trowa. . ." Rachel's heart began to race as she thought over what she was going to do.

"It's your decision." Sara said, her face dead of any emotions as she glared at Rachel, her gun trained on Trowa.

"You know my powers have no use here, not with Michael present." Rachel reminded her.

"Well, how ever did you know? Mr. Chamberlin?" Michael stepped out of the shadows and walked up to her side.

"Yes, Ma'am." Michael muttered obediently, keeping his eyes from crossing paths with Rachel's.

"Now, I have a dilemma on my hands. I can't risk losing your protective force field and she can't use her powers in your presence. Just how far does your power stretch?"

"About 100 feet." Michael responded.

"Good, then it shouldn't affect her in my office. If you'll follow me. . ."

"No." Rachel said defiantly.

"No?"

"No deal, how do I know you won't kill them while I'm with you?"

"Well, you don't but you also don't have any choice."

"I have another idea, why not a contest?" Sara cocked an eyebrow, saying, "Contest?"

"Yes, if you win you get what you want and if we win we get what we want."

"So if you lose, I can kill all of you?" Sara smirked. Hesitantly, she responded, "Yes."

"Rachel!" Duo stared wide-eyed at his girlfriend as she put their lives on the line.

"So, you're challenging me? To what, dueling?" She tapped her sword with a smile, knowing her own skills.

"No, I challenge you." Everyone stared at Trowa in surprise as he looked up weakly.

"Oh? You? You're barely standing, what could you possibly manage to challenge me to?" Sara was amused by his comment.

"Chess." Everyone looked at each other in confusion and Sara laughed, saying, "Chess? You'll lose in five moves!"

"I wouldn't doubt his chances, he's quite good himself. He will be the challenger, a battle of wits, winner takes all!" Rachel said, the others unsure of her decisions. Glancing in Trowa's direction, Rachel gave him a nod and he returned it.

"Well then, if you insist he can beat me, let us see! Guard, retrieve my chess set from my office!" One of the men saluted and ran for the elevator. She waved to the guards and said, "Do have a seat." The guards hit them all behind the knees and they fell to the floor painfully, glaring up at the men who attacked them. Sara nodded to the men holding Trowa and they brought him forward, dropping him at her feet.

__

Oh no, he's hurt! Can he really do this? Rachel thought to herself, seeing the bloody shoulder sagging in his shirt.

"Guards, get the table and chairs from the quarters and bring them here." Sara said lazily, waving to two of the men guarding the group. They quickly did as requested. Within minutes, the guard returned with the chess set and set it on the newly placed table. Dragging Trowa into his seat, the guards kept watch on him in case he thought of doing anything sneaky during the game. Michael stood behind Sara's chair to protect her as well during the game. Sara sat gracefully across from Trowa, setting up her pieces as she said, "I do hope you're better than you appear to be at doing things, you did fail to infiltrate my base successfully without being seen. Hopefully you don't mind being the black pieces, they're so stereotypically evil. Oh, I do love it when there's a crowd watching, makes the game seem so much more 'fun'." Sara motioned to Chris who activated all the holding cells. The prisoners woke and stared in surprise at the game before them.

"Trowa!" Hope called out again, seeing his wounded state and worrying.

"Daddy!" Precious called out, wiggling about.

"Chang. . ." Asuka looked down at her husband in surprise, not expecting him to be there.

"Quiet! You all have the honor of witnessing Mr. Barton here duel for your lives, isn't that exciting? Hopefully he won't mess up too much with such attention. Are you ready?" She said, confident in her abilities as she smugly crossed her arms. He nodded and she said, taking one of her pawns, "I will go first."


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Okay, there's a chess tournament bit in here so if you find chess boring. . .well, stinks for you. I used the legendary "Shower of Gold Pieces" game (Stepan M. Levitsky Vs. Frank J. Marshall, German Open Championships Round #6, Breslau, Ger: 1912) for the match, with added moves in the end to finish the game (since it originally ended in a draw). Also, this is technically the end chapter to the first half of the sequel so be prepared for the coming chapter of the next big situation to hit the group! .

Chapter 21

"e2 to e4."

Studying the board carefully, Trowa took the pawn across from hers and said, "e7 to e6." The group watched in silent eagerness for the game to heat up.

"d2 to d4." Sara moved another pawn.

"d7 to d5." Trowa met her pawn head on.

"Nb1 to c3." She moved out her left knight and placed it in front of the pawn battalion.

"c7 to c5." He brought forward another pawn in line with the knight.

"Ng1 to f3." She brought out her second knight.

"Nb8 to c6." Trowa brought out his right knight and placed it behind the pawn.

"e4 takes d5." Sara's used her first pawn to take Trowa's adjacent pawn, placing it beside the board with a smile. The group grit their teeth anxiously.

__

Oh great, she's already in the lead! He's gotta be more careful! Wait. . .why am I getting into a chess game! Duo thought to himself, his eyes glued to the board. Unmoved by the loss, Trowa picked up his pawn adjacent to hers and said, "e6 takes d5." He placed it beside the board and Sara let out a quiet grunt, picking up her right bishop and saying, "Bf1 to e2."

"Ng8 to f6." Trowa moved out his left knight.

"0 to 0." Sara knighted her king by swapping places with the right rook.

"Bf8 to e7." Trowa moved his left bishop to sit beside the knight.

"Bc1 to g5." Sara's left bishop jumped across the board to rest next to Trowa's left knight.

"0 to 0." Trowa knighted his king.

"d4 takes c5." Sara took another of Trowa's pawns.

"Bc8 to e6." Trowa moved out his right bishop.

__

Come on, Trowa, you can do it. . .Rachel thought, seeing sweat slowly begin to run down his face.

__

He's feeling the strain, he won't make it. Chang observed negatively as his friend battled with their fates.

"Nf3 to d4. You look nervous, Mr. Barton." Sara placed her right knight in front of his pawn with a slight grin. Trowa ignored her as he picked up his bishop, saying, "Be7 takes c5." He took the pawn and placed it with the other. She smiled again and said, taking her knight, "Nd4 takes e6."

__

No, he lost a bishop! This isn't good. . .Quatre thought as he bit his lip.

"f7 takes e6." Trowa used a pawn beside her knight to take it.

"YEAH! OW!" Duo cheered before getting stuck by one of the guards whom he glared at spitefully, rubbing his head.

"Be2 to g4." Sara moved out her last bishop to rest behind the first.

"Qd8 to d6." Trowa moved his queen forward into the protection of his other pieces.

__

Oh, he moved her! God save the queen. . .Duo thought, a side thought of popcorn on his mind.

"Bg4 to h3." Sara's bishop retreated to the front of the pawns.

"Ra8 to e8." Trowa moved his right rook to stand next to the other like two towers guarding his side of the field.

"Qd1 to d2." Sara moved her queen forward a step into the open.

"Bc5 to b4." Trowa's remaining bishop ran forward to line up with the queen, her knight being the only thing keeping them distant.

"Bg5 takes f6." Her bishop swept away his knight standing guard in front of the rooks. He narrowed his eyes and smashed her bishop with his mighty rook, saying, "Rf8 takes f6."

"Ra1 to d1." She slid her left rook over the bottom of the board.

"Qd6 to c5." Trowa's queen stepped out to challenge a pawn protecting the king from her attack.

"Qd2 to e2." Sara's queen sidled up to the pawn to reinforce it.

"Bb4 takes c3." Trowa's bishop snuck over to her knight and brought it down.

"b2 takes c3." In retaliation, a pawn leapt forward and slew the bishop.

__

All this killing, it's like a real war. . .must we always battle to bring about peace? Quatre thought to himself, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Trowa's queen swept forward, taking her pawn in one move.

"Qc5 takes c3." Trowa said.

"Rd1 takes d5." Sara moved her rook across the field to take his pawn.

__

That was dumb, she could lose that now! Why did she. . .Duo stared in confusion at her daring move. Trowa stared thoughtfully at the board for a moment and Sara smugly commented, "What's the matter, set aback by my moves? Am I too much for you?"

__

I can't take her rook, I'll leave a clear way for her queen to take my rook and then it's checkmate. Trowa thought to himself, seeing her trap looming on the board. Instead of falling for her setup, he took his knight and jumped over her rook, saying, "Nc6 to d4."

__

Oh, he's forcing her to use the rook to take the knight, otherwise she loses her queen! Good move. . .Quatre thought with a smile. Unfortunately, she picked up her queen and briskly moved it across the board far from harm's way, saying, "Qe2 to h5."

__

No, now Trowa's rook is in danger!

Daddy, look out! Precious thought, whimpering softly as she watched her father slowly lose pieces to Sara's rampage.

"Re8 to f8." He sidestepped his rook to sit next to his king, out of her queen's range.

"Rd5 to e5." Sara's rook moved a square to the right.

"Rf6 to h6." Trowa's leading rook skipped over two spaces and sat in front of her queen, threatening her safety.

"Qh5 to g5." Her queen stepped out of range.

"Rh6 takes h3." With the path clear, Trowa's rook jumped across the board and took Sara's last bishop.

__

Yes, she's out her diagonal attackers! Now Trowa has an advantage still having one knight alive. Rachel thought, watching in interest.

"Re5 to c5." Her rook moved to the right and threatened Trowa's queen, keeping it safe from defensive attack with the queen at its side.

"Qc3 to g3." His queen met gazes with hers as they sat just two squares apart. She cringed and looked at her situation. Her guard of three pawns stood the only defense against his queen and rook.

"You'll lose, whatever move you make, just resign and save yourself the humiliation." Trowa said confidently, staring into her eyes with a cold glare. She growled and said, "I never give up! Qg5 takes g3!" Her queen greedily took his off the field.

"Nd4 to e2, check." Trowa said calmly, moving his knight into attacking distance. She grit her teeth, moving aside her king and saying, "Kg1 to h1." Quickly, Trowa took her queen with the knight and said, "Ne2 takes g3."

__

He's forcing her to choose which pieces she loses, it's over. Rachel saw the game crumbling into Trowa's favor.

"f2 takes g3." Sara said spitefully, knowing she had lost.

"Rf8 takes f1. Checkmate." Trowa said, hearing sighs of relief fill the room. Sara's eyes twitched as she muttered, "No. . .no one makes a fool of me. NO ONE!" Jumping up, she pulled out her gun and screamed, "I NEVER LOSE!" Suddenly, Michael wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and she gasped, falling to the floor. The guards, startled by this sudden change in events, frantically pulled up their guns to attack the enemy.

"Good luck to you, take care of my sister." Michael said before disappearing from the room.

__

He's gone. . .Rachel thought, immediately jumping to her feet and forming a shield around herself. The guards shot at her and the others but they had done the same, quickly using their powers to knock out the guards. Chris frantically ran to the control panel and jammed a large red button on the board before Trowa threw him across the room with his mind.

"No, he's killing them!" Quatre screamed, watching as the prisoners gagged and coughed, toxic fluids flowing into their systems. Rachel's eyes glazed over white and she began to glow, saying, "Not if I have anything to do with it." The hostages too glowed and broke free of their bondage, floating over the group. She muttered to herself and they stopped writhing, falling to their feet weakly to be caught by their loved ones and friends. Rachel landed on her feet and fell to the floor, gasping exhaustively. Duo quickly ran to her.

"Precious, are you okay?" Trowa cradled his daughter in his arms as she slowly stared up at him.

"Y-Yes, daddy. . .Hope. . ." She looked around for Hope and Quatre carried her over.

"She's not well, she needs medical attention." Quatre said.

"No she doesn't, she needs my attention." Trowa set Precious down and stood, taking her body from Quatre. Closing his eyes, they both glowed softly as Trowa whispered, "Look at me, Hope. . ." Slowly, she blinked open her eyes and stared up at him in wonder and amazement.

"T-Trowa? How. . .are you an. . .angel?" She gently rested a hand on his cheek and he smiled, saying softly, "Hardly." Quatre felt a warm tingle run through him at the sight of his friend finally showing true feelings toward someone other than his daughter.

"Rachel, speak to me!" Duo held Rachel gently, trying to wake her. Sopher and Iceman staggered over to him and Sopher said, "I think she wore herself out doing. . .whatever it is she did."

"I hope that's all. . ." Just then, Iceman looked up and said, "Oh, Mr. Hearn's family! Did they. . ."

"I forgot them! Let's go check!" Sopher said, jumping to his feet and running off with Iceman to the secondary holding cells.

"Asuka, are you felling better?" Chang asked, helping his wife up. She looked into his eyes weakly, saying as she touched his cheek, "You came for me. . .Chang. . ."

"Don't be absurd, woman, of course I did! You're my wife, after all. . .and. . .I love you. . ." Chang said, trying not to sound too romantic. She smiled and said, "Carry me. . ." Obediently, Chang lifted her in his arms and held her close as she rested her head on his shoulder. Sopher and Iceman returned carrying two small women in their arms.

"Who are they?" Quatre asked, looking up as they approached.

"Christina. . ." Rachel whispered, seeing the small girl Iceman had in his arms.

"She knows her? Well, that's just bizarre. . .maybe we should get out of here before reinforcements come." Iceman suggested. Quatre picked up Precious and the men circled together, pooling their energy to teleport to the ship. As soon as they set foot inside, they fell to the floor as Heero sharply turned the ship to the right.

"What took you so long, I was beginning to think you weren't coming back!" Heero shouted over his shoulder, firing on the ships attacking him.

"What's going on!" Duo shouted back, staggering over to the co-pilot's seat to help Heero.

"They're attacking, what does it look like! We have to destroy this place before they can get away." Heero said, bringing the ship around to take another pass at the base.

"No wait, Mr. Hearn's still-" Sopher started to speak but a tremendous explosion sent them reeling back, spinning off course with debris from the waterfall and bas beneath. Heero quickly regained control and steadied the ship, saying, "Looks like he's not going to be joining us. . ."

"He sacrificed his life to stop them? But. . .his family. . ." Sopher stared wide eyed at the mess settling into the river below, feeling his heart wrench in his chest.

"There's nothing we could have done, let's go home." Heero said, trying to be of some consolation. The group fell silent as they flew home to the Sanc Kingdom. As they reached the capitol, Rachel began to stir uneasily.

"What's wrong, Rach?" Duo looked down at his girlfriend and she returned the glance, a restless expression on her face.

"Something. . .doesn't feel right. . ." She muttered, looking around.

"You're just tired, you haven't used your powers so much in a long time." Duo tried to calm her but she shook her head.

"No. . .it's. . .it's not that, something else. . .I sense great anger. . .somewhere. . ." She shivered as a chill ran through her and Duo held her close.

"Maybe your senses are just feeling what we left behind. . ."

"Maybe. . ." She looked away groggily and looked to see smoke billowing from what used to be the capitol building. Everyone jumped to their feet in terror and Quatre ran to the front viewing window, screaming, "SAYLA!"

"What. . ." Heero looked on with wide eyes, quickly excelerating to reach the disaster faster. They landed on the front lawn of the capitol and piled out, running to the burning building. Quatre tried to enter but Duo grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"NO, SAYLA, WHAT IF SHE'S STILL IN THERE!" Quatre screamed, tears running down his cheeks as he fought to get free.

"Heero!" They all turned to see Noin limping toward them with Sayla by her side. Quatre threw off his captor and ran to his wife, saying, "SAYLA! Are you okay! The baby-"

"We're both fine, Noin's been hurt badly. . .we barely made it out alive." Sayla said, a look of disbelief on her face as she fell into her husband's arms. Noin collapsed to her knees and Heero ran to her, holding her up as he said, "Noin, what happened? Were you attacked! Was it NeOZ!"

"No. . .we weren't. . .attacked. . .so to speak. . ." She faintly responded, holding her arm painfully as she leaned against Heero's shoulder.

"Then what happened! Where's Relena and Milliardo?" Duo walked up, kneeling in front of Noin and touching her hand. She looked up with a distant look in her eyes.

"They. . .they're gone. . .after the fire. . ."

"Who did this? Tell me!" Heero demanded.

"They did. . ."

"Who's 'they'?"

"Milleena. . ." Noin's voice cracked, her eyes looking wild as memories of what happened raced through her mind.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Okay, bizarre stuff happens in this chapter and I just want to say. . .it's all mine! XD My whacked little mind made all of this up so I didn't steal the plot from anyone, just to reassure you. Oh yes, and the designs for the characters in real life are mine too. Ooo, and the creatures' names are my ideas. . .

Chapter 22

"Okay, so. . .you're telling me that Relena and Milliardo are. . .one person now?" Duo looked completely lost after Noin explained what happened while they were gone.

"Yes, I honestly don't know how it happened. I was with Milliardo one minute and I walked out to get some lunch for us and when I came back the room was flashing wildly with lights and it looked warped like it was melting then there it was. . ." Noin touched her face, her eyes still wide in disbelief. Hope rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder and said, "Are you sure it was them?"

"Yes, when it spoke, it had both their voices. . .as one."

"Like those aliens on TV with two voices overlapped? How weird. . .what do you think caused this to happen?" Rachel mused.

"I don't know, I just. . ." Noin looked close to a breakdown and Heero stepped up.

"Was anything out of the ordinary happening before this happened?" Heero asked, trying to get her concentrated on something else.

"Well, Relena was fighting with Milliardo, she was mad about what you were doing and Milliardo sided with your choice. I was trying to get them to stop but it was like they didn't even know I was there. I thought maybe some tea would calm her down so that's why I left the room. . ."

"Where did they go?" Quatre asked, still by his wife's side.

"I don't know, they said something about ridding this world of change?"

"Well, in any case, we can't find them, not if they're neither Relena nor Milliardo. Is that all they said to you?"

"No. After they said that, I asked them what they meant and they said ' We will return to the source of the ripple and end it in its rest.' What do you think that means?"

"It must be a riddle, Milliardo always had a way with poetic meanings. Relena was like that a well. What in this world has changed it? What differed our future that they would want to end?" Heero thought aloud, looking at the others for a response or input. They all looked dumbfounded.

"Well. . .what has changed things? What came in and started this 'ripple'?" Chang said. Suddenly, Duo looked over at Rachel and said in a wistful tone, "You."

"Me? But. . .how can they end me? Wouldn't they be after me then?" Rachel queried in surprise.

"There's more than one way of ending you. . .Rachel, where's your body?" Heero said seriously.

"It's right-" Then it hit her and she gasped, "It's back in my world. . .I'm defenseless there! My powers don't carry over, what do I do!"

"We have to go to your world and protect you from them. Duo was able to still use his powers in your world, we should as well. If we're going to do this we need to go now before they find your body. Where is it?"

"It's hidden, I bought a property where my body could be cared for and tended to, I was intending on figuring out a way to transfer myself to here but I was afraid my link to my world might be severed if I did. . ." Rachel answered.

"We need to go then, lead the way and we'll follow." Heero said.

"Wait, we're not all going, are we? What about Hope and Precious and Sayla and Asuka?" Quatre asked in concern.

"Either they come with us, stay behind by themselves, or someone stays with them." Heero said.

"I'll stay, I'm in no condition to travel, let alone cross dimensions. You'd better hurry." Noin said, nodding to them.

"Then it's settled, let's go." Heero and the others grouped together and linked hands, relying on Rachel to lead them to her body safely. Within seconds, they appeared in a dimly lit room with a bed at one end and a door at the other.

"I guess. . .we're here. . .woah, Quatre?" Duo looked at his friend and held back a laugh. Quatre frowned and said, "What?"

"You're so. . .so. . ." Duo snickered at Quatre's realistic appearance.

"I believe he is calling you effeminate." Chang said, rolling his eyes at Duo's juvenile reaction. With a sigh, Quatre said, "Shut up. . ."

"You look odd yourself, the braid doesn't suit you in this world." Heero said to Duo, staring at him impatiently.

"Look who's talking, Mr. Hair all over the place like he's having a bad hair day!" Duo mocked.

"Can we remember why we're here, please?" Everyone looked to see Rachel sitting up in the bed.

"Rachel?" Trowa blinked, surprised by how she looked.

"Yes, I know, I look different. You look funky with hair in your face like that. . ." Rachel pointed out. Trowa shyly pushed his bangs aside as he looked down at the cold stone floor. Rolling out of bed, Rachel staggered before grabbing the edge of the mattress. Duo quickly ran to her and helped support her, saying, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I've been laying her for over three years, my body's not as strong as it used to be. . .I'll be okay, I just need to walk around for a while." Rachel said, trying to stand on her own but her legs crippled underneath her weight and she nearly fell. Duo touched his hand to her legs and said, "There, now walk." She immediately stood and smiled, saying, "I guess your powers still work alright. Let's see about mine!" She concentrated as hard as she could but nothing happened. She sighed and Heero said, "This is your world, after all, you can't be something you're not." She pouted and said, "Yeah yeah, let's get out of here and find some shelter before. . .Milleena finds us." They ran for the door and pulled it open, racing down the hallway of the building they were inside. It was a maze of other storage rooms of bodies lying in stasis like she was.

"How creepy, look at all these bodies. . ." Quatre muttered, looking around as they dashed past the many doors along the walls.

"The exit is just around this corner, come on." Rachel said, turning a corner and halting in her steps. Duo crashed into her and said, "What?"

"Something. . .doesn't feel right. . ." She said, staring at the door out of the building.

"I thought you didn't have your power here." Chang commented.

"I could always sense when something was amiss, it was just. . .a gift. . ." Rachel backed up, saying, "They're out there. . .waiting, I know it."

"Don't be so jumpy, if they are we can stop them. How powerful can they be?" Duo said, trying to be confident. Suddenly, Rachel's body was flung forward, flying toward the door at a rapid speed.

"RACHEL!" Quatre exclaimed, cringing as she slammed into the door. The door flew out and she followed, disappearing outside. The men ran outside to be blinded by a tremendous light coming from the sky.

"What is that!" Duo shouted, shielding his eyes from being damaged.

"We are what you refer to as Milleena." A booming voice of both power and tender strength said from behind the light.

"Give us back Rachel! And alive, if you don't mind!" Duo said, feeling the force of strong winds pushing him to the ground. Trowa grit his teeth and forced his hand forward, trying to bring down whatever was above. An invisible force knocked him flat on his back and pressed him into the ground.

"Trowa!" Quatre exclaimed, seeing the pain his friend was in.

"Stop this, Relena!" Heero shouted, "I'm sorry if I angered you but don't take this out on them!"

"She is what we want, she is the starter of the forest fire." The being said again, nearly deafening them with its power.

"Forest fire! Where!" Duo exclaimed, glancing Heero's way.

"Everything that happened since she came, that's what it is talking about." Heero responded, able to understand the conundrums they spouted since he had lived with Relena for over three years, he was used to it.

"The wave must be ceased, for the future's sake." It said.

"Why! What damage can she do to the world! She SAVED us!" Quatre shouted.

"She merely ended a small threat, she has greater power within her that lies dormant in her soul. . .the assassin will aid in bringing forth the coming of the apocalypse, as will we. Together, the power will rule and destroy the world. If one is made away with, our world will be safe."

"The assassin? I'm not an assassin. . ." Duo said, turning to the others. They all looked confused and Quatre said, "I don't even like killing people."

"And I only came to earth to take revenge on Nataku's death." Chang said, glancing at Heero. Heero looked down at Trowa and didn't figure he was much of an assassin so he assumed the worst.

"I guess I'm the assassin." Heero said almost casually.

"But what do they mean by you aiding in this apocalypse?" Duo asked.

"I don't know, why don't we ask them?" Heero said mockingly, turning to the light and shouting, "What do you mean I will aid in the apocalypse?"

"You and the threat will merge, as we have. . .to form the end of the world." Milleena responded in a solemn tone.

"Merge? You'll become a floating, schizophrenic glowy thing?" Duo asked, still confused. Heero shrugged and then said, "Rachel is your friend, can't we work something out to perhaps keep this apocalypse from happening?"

"It is inevitable." Milleena said in a monotone voice.

"Nothing is for certain! We can stop this!" Heero insisted.

"You naïve fool, you have no concept as to which you speak! She must die, that is it."

"NO!" Duo screamed in protest, trying to use his powers to stop them but being thrown to the ground like Trowa had been. Quatre looked to Heero nervously and Heero said, "Lend me your strength."

"What?" Suddenly, Heero grabbed Quatre's arm and drained him of nearly all his power, sending him reeling to the ground. He then ran to Trowa, gathered his power, then stole Duo's as well. He turned to Chang and found him staring in surprise.

"Heero, what do you plan to achieve from this?" Chang asked as Heero approached him.

"I plan to save Rachel." Heero simply answered, grabbing Chang and taking his energy away. Chang fell to his knees weakly before collapsing to his side with a groan. A tremendous rush of power surged through Heero's body and he whispered faintly, "This. . .this power. . .I feel so strong. . ."

"You will not stop us, no matter how strong you become." Heero turned to them and said, "You have the power of two, I have the power of five. . .who do you think will win?" Jumping into the air, Heero flew straight into the light, grabbing the first thing he touched and zapping it with all his might.

"YOU FOOL, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" The voice shook his body and he grunted as he strained to see what he had taken hold of. As he pulled it near, he found it to be Rachel.

__

Oh no, did I kill her? Heero thought in dismay. Just as he reached to see if she was still alive, her hand shot up and grabbed his throat, choking him.

"GAH!" Heero fought to get free as Milleena said threateningly, "We mustn't let them bind together. . .stop them!" He felt something trying to rip them apart but it was too late. His body was glued to Rachel's, slowly becoming part of it until he even felt their very souls being intertwined. He let out one last desperate cry before being completely devoured by the darkness they created.

__

What. . .what's happening to me? Where. . .am I? Is anyone there? Am I dead? I can't be dead if I'm still thinking. . .but. . .wait, who's that? A form flashed through Heero's thoughts and he drifted toward it, slowly letting the image before him come into focus.

__

Rachel? Rachel, can you hear me? She must have passed out but. . .why's she in my mind? I don't understand this at all. . .Rachel, if you can hear me. . .He lightly touched her hand and felt a surge of energy flow out of him. Quickly, he drew back in shock, staring at the lifeless body. It shuttered slightly before raising up and facing him.

__

Say something. . .Heero waited for a response and the body reached out a hand as if to call him forward. Cautiously, he did and took her hand.

"Have they died? They haven't moved yet. . .we should destroy them to make sure of it." Milleena discussed with itself. They raised their hands and prepared to give the lifeless form a final fatal shot when its eyes flashed open. Before their attack could reach the ground, it jumped away from the blast in the blink of an eye. Floating to the ground, the creature's head whipped up and stared at Milleena with a primal rage in its blue-gold eyes.

"It's alive. . .this isn't good. We must kill Hechel now before it flees." Milleena said decidedly, diving down to attack the creature waiting for them. With a flap of its bat-like wings, it leapt quickly out of the way and landed on a telephone poll 30 feet away a split second before their force slammed into the ground. It almost teased them as it crouched in waiting for another attack, swishing its leathery tail back and forth. Milleena flew at them again but Hechel dodged the attack, landing a brutal kick with its clawed foot to their back and sending them careening to the ground. They crashed with the force of a meteor, creating a crater and sending dirt and grass flying everywhere. Hechel glared at them and disappeared into a black hole that soon faded away. Milleena staggered to its feet and disappeared in pursuit of its prey, leaving the half-conscious group to wake moments later with severe headaches.

"Ugh, what happened. . ." Duo said, holding his head tenderly as it throbbed.

"Heero stole all of our powers and tried to defeat Milleena. . ." Chang said, groaning as he stood up on his wobbly legs.

"Where did they go?" Quatre asked, looking around and only finding the devastation from their little skirmish.

"I don't know but we'd better find them soon, who knows what they could do to this place if we let them carry on like this!" Duo motioned to the huge hole in the ground.

"But what can we do? They're obviously stronger than we are. If they have the power of two people each, then we're evenly matched in power." Trowa stated with a moan.

"I'll help you." Everyone turned and saw a man with auburn hair standing roughly 20 feet away, hands stuffed deep in his pockets.

"Michael?" Trowa stood, thinking him familiar. The man nodded and looked them all over.

"How did you-" Quatre started.

"I followed you, wasn't hard. I think I can help you find them. . .something about being with Rachel created a connection between us so that now I can sense her presence." Michael said in a sad-sounding voice. Duo glared at him and said, "Well then, take us to them."

"I'll try, but you'll have to follow after me." Michael disappeared and the group slowly followed his path through space. They appeared in the general area of where he was and found the two beings battling in the middle of a freeway.

"Crud, they'll kill someone if they're not careful!" Duo exclaimed, watching Hechel throw Milleena into the median.

"Careful? Them?" Chang said sarcastically. They got as close as possible to Michael before his shielding muted their powers and Chang shouted, "What do plan to do?"

"Get close enough to drain their power! You just hold them down long enough for me to get to one of them!" Michael shouted back, keeping an eye on the feuding creatures.

"Right, how are we suppose to hold them down when his powers stop ours! Whatever, let's try!" Duo said, confused but still willing. The four men gathered their strengths and grabbed Milleena first, since it was the one wanting to destroy Hechel. Straining, they brought it down to the ground and pinned it there until Michael was ready. He broke into a run and dashed across the road to the struggling creature, leaping over debris and getting 5 feet from it before their powers ceased their functioning. He barely got hold of its wing when it jumped to its feet, fighting to free itself of his grasp. Being swung back and forth violently, he struggled to get a better hold while he drained its immense power.

"It's not working, he'll die if he keeps trying!" Quatre said, watching the man get flung like a rag doll. Hechel was watching in amusement, its tail lashing through the air as it crouched nearby curiously. Finally, it grew tired of watching and pounced, landing on Milleena and tumbling across the asphalt. The two creatures continued their struggle and Michael eventually fell loose, rolling away before he was stepped on.

"Rachel, stop, please!" Duo called to Hechel desperately. The creature slammed into Milleena, sending it flying across to the opposite side of the highway. Before pursuing it, Hechel turned and stared at Duo curiously.

"It's me, Duo, remember me?" Duo pleaded, hoping his girlfriend was still inside this hideous monster somewhere. It blinked and cocked its head inquisitively, quickly whipping its head around in time to counter the attack Milleena sent its way. Hechel rolled across the road, flipping around onto its hands and feet and bearing its wings menacingly, tail posed to lash out at anyone who dare come close.

"We have to do something to stop this, we have to get through to Rachel and Heero!" Quatre said, getting worried.

"What can we do! This. . .whatever it is seems to be bent on destroying Milleena!" Chang said, wanting to get in and take them down with his bare hands.

"I don't think so. . .if it really did want to I think it would have by now. . .I mean, Milliardo's a good fighter but he's got nothing on Heero. I think it's toying with them. . ." Trowa mused, watching their behaviors. As if it heard them, Hechel glanced in Trowa's direction.

__

Help. . .

"Ah. . ." Trowa blinked, wondering if that was his own thought or. . .

"What's wrong?" Duo turned to Trowa who looked like he had just been bitten by a snake.

"I. . .I think Heero just. . .asked for help. . ." Trowa muttered, staring into the narrowing blue-gold eyes of the creature.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Don't own the series, blah blah. Okay, I haven't written anything in a while so if it sounds a little off. . .um. . .yeah. And I'm sick so that causes for a little lack in judgement now and then, but this is basically what is suppose to happen. . .XD Yes, it's a freakish turn in events but it all ties together in the end, trust me. . .. Oh yes, and there's quotes from the movies "On the Line" and "Moulin Rouge" in this chapter, which I love but did not create. Just so you know. . .

Chapter 23

"Well, how are we suppose to help them?" Chang asked, getting annoyed.

"Maybe we're going at this all wrong, maybe we're not strong enough to physically fight them but. . .perhaps mentally. . ." Trowa suggested.

"No more chess, please. . ."

"No, I mean go into their minds! I'm sure they're not stable with two people going in the same body, we can do this!"

"We can try. . .we should test it on Milleena first while someone distracts Hechel." Quatre said.

"Got it." Trowa turned and used his powers to create the illusion of an opponent, luring Hechel to follow it away from Milleena. Eagerly, Hechel leapt at the creature, trying to bring it down so it could claw it to death.

"Now!" Chang said. Duo and Quatre joined powers with him and entered Milleena's mind, causing it to let out a shriek and catch Hechel's attention.

__

No, follow me. . .Trowa thought, using his powers to make his illusion almost real, whacking Hechel on the back of the head. This infuriated it and it raced after the speedy chimera, trying in dismay to bring it down. While Trowa played war with Hechel, the others battled to get into Milleena's mind.

"No, get out of our head!" Milleena screamed, holding its head and shaking back and forth violently.

"This. . .is for your own. . .good!" Duo grit his teeth, finally breaking through its powerful mind barrier. His eyes glazed over and he fell to his knees, staring blankly into space.

"Duo? DUO!" Quatre exclaimed.

"No, keep trying!" Chang said, forcing Quatre to forget about Duo. Deep within Duo's mind, his subconscious was sucked into Milleena's black hole of thoughts, getting tossed and turned about by the shock waves of Chang and Quatre's efforts. As he tried to sift through the confusion, he spotted two bodies trapped within a bubble of light, blinded as to the world around them. Cautiously, he approached it and tried to touch the outside. It immediately threw him back, causing him to summersault past various neural commands. Shaking it off, he stared at the impervious sphere containing his friends and thought, _How did they get in there? I have to find a way to break them out! But. . .how. . .Hey, guys, can you hear me! _Duo called to them repeatedly but they didn't seem to notice him. He began to fly around in circles, using extravagant hand gestures and movements to make his presence known. They still did not flinch. He stopped inches from the wall, staring in and thinking, _Man, what are they doing? They're just sitting in there holding hands! This is NO time for bonding and singing songs, why can't I reach them! _He flew back a few feet and built up a ball of energy, throwing it at the sphere. The attack was immediately repelled back at him and he ducked, nearly being knocked unconscious.

__

Woah. . .okay, so I can't use my powers on it. . .maybe I can crush it. . .He used his mind to increase the pressure around the bubble, trying to cause it to shatter. But the bubble resisted all his attacks. In frustration, he cursed and screamed at it, saying, _If you don't open, I'll. . .I'll. . .I'll do something to you! GAH, would you PLEASE give me my friends back!_

"No."

Oh, well then I'll just have to-wait, what? Who said that!

"I did."

Who's I? Duo looked around for the voice he heard echo through their thoughts but saw nothing different.

__

"I am I. Who are you?"

Oh. . .well, my name's Duo-wait a minute, I'm not gonna have a chat with something that's using my friends to kill my girl! I demand you free Relena and Milliardo right now!

"And what if I don't?"

Then. . .I'll. . .I'll. . .

"You've been saying that frequently. Do you have a stutter?"

No I don't have a stutter! Listen. . .whatever you are, I don't know why you're doing this but it's wrong and it has to stop!

"Why?"

Because, you're hurting innocent people! This isn't our world, you'll disrupt everything!

"I can't go home."

Why not!

"The germ does not physically exist there."

I would appreciate it if you didn't refer to Rachel as a germ! What's your beef with her anyway!

"One like me lives in her that the assassin has awoken, he will destroy our world."

He?

"Gabriel-Loki."

Is that the name of that other thing out there?

"No, that is the germ and assassin combined, it is a virus called Hechel."

Hechel? And you're Milleena. . .

"No, that is the peace and hope combined, I live inside Relena."

This is so confusing. . .so you're like this. . .Gabriel thing? How are you so much better than it is?

"He. I am not evil."

Oh, well that explains everything. Actually, it doesn't. Who are you to judge whether he's the evil one and you're the good one? After all, you attacked him first, he's just playing with you!

"Gabriel-Loki is a demon spirit, he must be destroyed."

Yeah yeah, I heard you say that all already. If he's a demon, what are you?

"An Angel spirit."

Good for you. Look, I don't give a care about your stupid little fight but take it elsewhere!

"I have no choice, the chosen one shall die for the safety of everyone's futures."

For the safety of our futures! What are you talking about, Rachel wouldn't do anything to hurt us! Besides, we can help ourselves, I mean, we ended a war all by ourselves!

"You will be overpowered, I have no choice but to intervene and destroy the threat before it occurs."

No, wait! Can't you just. . .get rid of this guy without killing Rachel!

"They are part of each other, one in one. . .they must both die."

I can't let you do that!

"Why?"

Because, I love her!

"Love? What is love?"

What do you mean, 'what is love'? Love is what makes the world go around!

"I thought that was the gravitational pull of the sun."

Well, literally speaking. Okay, so love may not make the world go around, but it sure makes the ride worth while! Love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love!

"All you need? Do you not require food or air when in this state of love?"

Of course you still need food and air, but that's not my point! Love is what keeps us alive, just knowing that there's someone else in the world that needs you in order to live, someone who would be alone without you. . .someone. . .to love.

"Love. . .I want to know more about this. . .love."

But you can't very well know about it if you kill people, that's not very loving. And you can't love unless you're human or at least like us! I mean, animals don't love, they just do it and make babies and die, that's it! But we can't go through life without knowing we were loved at least once by someone. . .

"I want to experience love. . .tell me how I can do this."

You have to be like us, not some voice in someone's head.

"Like you. . ." Suddenly, a brilliant light filled the thoughts of Relena and Milliardo and Duo was sent reeling back and out of their consciousness, falling back in reality and hitting the ground.

"Duo's back!" Slowly, Duo blinked open his eyes and stared up into a pair of large blue-green eyes looking deeply concerned.

"Q-Quatre?" Duo muttered, being helped up by his friend.

"We thought you'd be like that forever! What happened?" Quatre said, bringing his belt leg around behind Duo to help support his back.

"I. . .I saw them. . .Relena and Milliardo. But, there was someone else in there, some creature living inside Relena's mind. It was trying to kill Rachel cause there's something in her too like it. Wait, are they-"

"It's okay, they're back." Trowa stepped up, looking exhausted beyond all reason. Looking ahead, Duo saw two bodies laying side by side on the broken pavement, still unconscious. A few feet from them lay the other two in similar conditions.

"So. . .what now? Do we just leave?"

"We have to do something about all this damage, but so many people have seen us I don't know what to do. . ." Quatre said, looking worried.

"There's nothing we can do about being seen, all we can do is return the roads to how they used to be and hope they blame the sightings on the heat." Chang said, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow as he looked up toward the intense sun.

"None of us have enough energy to do that, all we can manage is teleporting home." Trowa muttered, wobbling slightly as he walked up to them.

"Then there is nothing we can do." Chang said.

"No, they'll think it was a terrorist attack! We can't let her planet fall to a war! What if this was our world, would you just leave things as they are?" Quatre protested strongly.

"Then you figure out how to change things back." Chang hissed, his hands on his hips as he glared at Quatre.

"I can return some of them to your world so you can safely return your own selves." Michael stepped up to them.

"You can do that?" Duo asked, looking up at him.

"How do you think I kidnapped your girlfriend. . ." Michael muttered before walking toward the bodies strewn about. Duo started toward Michael angrily but Quatre held him back, talking him down.

"Let's get this cleaned up and leave, I hear sirens approaching." Chang said, turning to the debris laying everywhere. He closed his eyes and focused hard on changing the scenery to its original standings, soon being joined by the other four's efforts. With their combined power, they managed to change everything back and still teleport home. When they arrived back at the capitol building, they found a second jet resting on the lawn by Heero's creation.

"You're back! We weren't sure if you'd make it." Dexter said cheerfully, helping them to a seat on the lawn.

"When did you get here?" Quatre asked as he sat down with a moan.

"Shortly after you, we followed when you left, right after picking up Mike and Mike."

"Wait. . .where were they?" Duo asked, stretched out on the grass with a sigh.

"Funny story, actually. . .they were in the base when they came across this guy trying to cross some wires and cause a surge in the systems that could blow up the whole place. Well, they weren't keen on dying so they stopped him and planted their own bombs, as they had planned to do in the first place. Then they hightailed it and waited a safe distance from the explosion to be picked up."

"Guy? What guy?"

"Oh, that guy!" Dexter pointed to a small man laying on the grass by the women they had previously rescued.

"Professor Hearn, I thought he died. . ." Trowa said in surprise.

"He would have if they hadn't found him in time. Lucky thing, huh? It seems he's also familiar with the girls you found."

"They're his family, or what's left of it." Chris said, sitting by the group looking solemn and exhausted.

"Well. . .it's good that he's been reunited with his family." Quatre said softly, starting to fall asleep.

"I don't understand, what happened while I was in that thing's mind? It seems like everything just came to a stop as soon as I was forced out." Duo said, staring up at the sky in deep thought.

"I don't really know how to explain it, they just stopped moving and changed back into our friends. It was weird, they just gave up like that. . .why do you suppose they did?"

"I don't know. . .last thing I remember was talking to that thing about love and then. . ." Duo fainted off as his eyelids slowly closed over his eyes, his head rolling slightly to the side as he fell asleep.

"Talking about love? I think he lost it back there. . ." Chang mumbled, refusing to fall asleep on the grass like everyone else as he sat cross-legged, arms folded over his chest.

"Ugh, I have the worst headache. . .you wouldn't believe. . ." Quatre sat up slowly, his head throbbing as he rose. Sayla, sitting by his side, helped him remain upright as she said softly, "Shall I get you some Aleve, dear?"

"No, I'll be fine. . .eventually. . ."

"It's like having a hangover. . ." Duo commented as he had woke a few minutes before Quatre and was trying to gather his thoughts.

"Yeah, you'd know a lot about those, now wouldn't you." Chang mumbled, still awake from earlier but in mid meditation. With an indignant glare, Duo stared at Chang and said, "Would you stop being Mr. Macho and just pass out already!"

"I am just fine, besides, by staying awake I have been able to keep an eye on my wife." Chang shot back mildly.

"Eh? What's that suppose to mean!" Duo blinked in confusion, trying to get up as the world spun in protest.

"Your woman has been feeling quite ill while you've been sleeping like a baby." Duo grumbled a snide comment as he staggered to his feet.

"Where is she?"

"Inside with Relena and Heero." Chang sighed, glad for Duo to finally be out of earshot as he was snoring in his sleep, rather obnoxiously to add. Duo, as quick as drunken legs could go, ran into the capitol and called out for Rachel, roaming around the hallways until he found Heero sitting in the long hall to the guest quarters. Looking puzzled, Duo slowed his pace as he approached, saying, "Heero? What's wrong, where's Rachel?"

"In the bedroom with Relena." He simply replied. Duo reached to open the door when Heero grabbed his calf, startling him.

"Wha-" Duo stared down at him in surprise. The deeply distressed man gazed up at him with a disturbing emptiness in his once beautiful eyes.

"There's. . .something wrong with her. . .same as with Relena." Heero said, his voice almost lacking composure.

"What is it?" Heero's hand let go of Duo and dropped to the floor, its owner unresponsive. With a dumbfounded expression, Duo pushed open the door and entered the room quietly. He saw two forms lying on the bed, silent as death before him. Nervously, Duo ventured to stand by Rachel, kneeling as his cold hand gently touched her arm. She barely flinched.

__

Her skin is hot, she must be really sick. Duo figured as he placed both hands on her, concentrating his energy to heal her of her ailment. His attempts were in vain, as nothing happened.

"You can't heal her of this." Heero was standing in the doorway, his face paling a little every minute.

"Why not, I'm strong enough!" Duo protested. Heero shook his head as he said, "No, that has nothing to do with it."

"Then why can't I heal her?"

"Because, she's not sick. . .she's pregnant."


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: This chapter contains views I thought the characters might hold when faced with the issue of abortion, this is just a personal idea not necessarily how they might react.

Chapter 24

"Chang, you're tired, rest your soul." Asuka crouched by her meditating husband, resting her hands on his shoulder and right thigh.

"I am." He muttered, his voice carrying the weary feeling that coursed through his body. She rolled her eyes and said, "My husband lies."

"I never lie, that is dishon-" Chang began to fuss at his wife when he caught the smirk on her face and became puzzled, "Why do you grin?"

"You amuse me with your battle of testosterone vs. sleep." With an indignant scowl, he turned away and said, "Do not tell me how to sleep!"

"Cows sleep upright, you're just stubborn."

"So what if I am?" Chang snubbed his nose. Asuka brought his face back to hers as she whispered, "Might I assist you in going to sleep? My methods seem to wear you out every time."

"Asuka, there's people around!" Chang nearly blushed as he pushed his wife's hand away from his belt. With a coy giggle, she purred, "Are you ashamed of letting people know what you're really good at?"

"Asuka, quiet!"

"Duo? What's wrong?" Everyone turned to see Duo slowly descending the steps of the capitol, a mortified expression on his face as he walked toward Trowa. Standing, Trowa faced him and said, "What's wrong?" Duo firmly grabbed Trowa by the collar, shaking him as he yelled obscene names at him and tried to hit him without much luck.

"I don't know whether to hit you for what you just called me or what cause I don't have a clue what I did to deserve this." Trowa responded calmly, holding his assailant at bay for the moment.

"You did this to her; she wouldn't even let me sleep in the same room as her! That has to be the reason, she was with you! It was you who did this to her! It was you. . .it had to be. . ." Duo's knees gave way below him and he sunk to the ground, half being held by Trowa. Tears slowly rolled down Duo's cheeks as he clung to Trowa's sleeves, his jaw clenched to hold in the cries of anguish aching his body.

"What. . .did I do?" Trowa was completely lost by now.

"He thinks you slept with Rachel." Heero was stepping outside, looking paler than before, his arms loosely wrapped around himself.

"What? Why would he think that!" Trowa stared in shock.

"Because, she's pregnant."

"Wha-but how-I would never-" Trowa stuttered, glancing over at Hope who had been listening with wide-open eyes.

"It's not yours, Trowa. . .it's mine." Everyone practically passed out when Heero said this, especially Milliardo who quickly leapt to his feet.

"Heero, how could you do this to Relena!" Milliardo yelled fiercely.

"I don't know, I could ask you the same question." Heero responded, barely keeping his cool in tact. Milliardo blinked in confusion by this remark. Collecting his voice, Heero said, "She's pregnant too. . .with your child."

"You lie." Milliardo's breathy voice was barely audible as the words seemed to suck all the air out of his lungs, his eyes wide with disbelief. Just seeing the distraught expression on Heero's face told him it was true. Slowly, he broke into a run, screaming out to Relena as he entered the building. With his eyes shut, Heero winced as Milliardo passed him, barely making it down to the bottom step before his legs gave way beneath him. Quatre ran to his side immediately, holding him up as he exclaimed, "Heero, what on earth is happening! Why. . .how!"

"I. . .I don't. . .I didn't. . ." Heero said softly, his eyes glazed over by shock and fear. Chang was wide-awake by now and standing motionless beside his wife as he said, "I could understand Heero cheating on Relena but. . .Milliardo and his sister. . .?" Quatre fiercely looked up and shouted, "How can you say that, Wufei! Heero would never do such a thing to Relena!"

"Well, divine intervention doesn't happen very often, if you haven't noticed." Chang crossed his arms, frowning at Quatre's seemingly stupid response.

"There. . .there has to be an explanation to this. . ." Quatre muttered, his face contorted into a painful expression as he stared down at Heero. Hope was completely lost, feeling as if she was in a live reality show as she held Precious in her arms. While everyone was shocked and stunned speechless, Precious was curiously blinking, her little mind thinking over the various things said. Finally, her face brightened with an idea and she pushed away from Hope, running over to her father as she shouted, "Daddy, I know what happened!"

"Precious, not right now. . ." Trowa muttered.

"Daddy, weren't they together? Heelo and Rachel? That's why you went away before, to make them come apart!" Precious said, not quite able to pronounce Heero's name yet.

"Precious, please-" Trowa tried to quiet her.

"Wait. . .what did you say?" Duo looked up at Precious, his tear-stained eyes locking onto the girl's beaming face. She cocked her head to the side and said again, "Weren't they together this morning?"

"This. . .morning. . .oh my gosh, that's it!" Duo struggled to his feet, running toward the capitol building again.

"Wha-Duo!" Trowa called out, not getting what just happened.

"Heero, I know how it happened! You're not an S.O.B.! Come on, I'll explain!" Duo grabbed Heero's arm and dragged him to his feet. Heero was still in shock and merely followed out of reflex. The others followed as well, if only to find out what this great explanation was that didn't involve the birds and the bees. Duo burst into the bedroom and nearly gave Milliardo a heart attack as Duo exclaimed, "I know what happened!"

"Duo, are you insane!" Milliardo yelled.

"I sure hope not! Look, when you and Relena were. . .that thing, something happened to you two."

"Glad you solved that for us, Sherlock." Chang said as he entered the room with the others.

"No, listen to me! There was something living inside both of you, another being!"

"Oh boy. . ."

"Would you shut up for a minute!" Duo yelled at Chang who jumped slightly at this outburst. With a sigh, Duo continued, "This angel-thing, it wanted to kill Rachel and Heero cause there was something inside them too, but it was supposedly evil! Of course, that wasn't going to happen as long as I was there! So I told it it couldn't do that and it asked me why. I told it that I loved Rachel and it didn't understand so I had to explain. . .long story short, it wanted to know love and I said it had to be like us. Then it kicked me out."

"So. . .what are you saying?" Milliardo asked, looking confused.

"I'm saying. . .maybe that thing is inside Relena now. . .trying to be like us. . ." Duo softly responded, walking over to Rachel and sitting on the bed beside her swelling abdomen, gently running his hand over it.

"So. . .this baby inside her is. . .that entity?"

"I think so. . ."

"Then what's inside Rachel?" Quatre asked curiously.

"Gabriel. . ." Duo whispered.

"This is insane! Duo, have you lost your mind! We can't let those things be born into this world, there's no telling what they're capable of doing!" Chang exclaimed harshly.

"Maybe through our influence they'll-" Quatre tried to speak but Wufei cut him off.

"Are you trying to rationalize these walking atrocities!"

"They're hardly in any position to be walking anywhere." Duo commented.

"Don't tell me your all on their side! Have you forgotten what they did to your loved ones just a few hours ago!"

"I'm not impartial about keeping them, they did try to kill my sister after all. Why should we let them live. . ." Milliardo said in a deep and snarling tone.

"Milliardo, no!" Quatre protested his remark.

"They had no right doing this! We will have to care for them until they become adults because if we let someone else adopt them, there's no telling what they'll do outside our watch!"

"So you're just going to kill them! Have you no conscience!" Quatre shouted.

"NOT when it comes to monsters harming my LOVED ones! YOU wouldn't understand, you're wife didn't have to suffer like they did!" Milliardo yelled back.

"You're calling THEM monsters!"

"STOP IT!" Everyone turned to see Precious standing in the doorway, hands balled in fists over her ears as she shuttered from the fighting. Trowa walked over to her to comfort her but she shoved past him and ran over to the bed, jumping up and crawling over to Rachel and laying over her stomach.

"Precious-"

"He's just like me, he doesn't have a mommy to take care of him. None of you had mommies and you were mean when you were kids! He doesn't have anyone to tell him not to do things, don't say he's a monster when you were once too!" Precious cried, hugging the bulge tenderly. Everyone stared in stunned silence at the words of this small child's speech, unable to argue her reasoning. Slowly, Trowa walked over to his daughter and lifted her off Rachel, cradling her in his arms as she cried on his shoulder. He turned to the others and said softly, "She's right, we all used to be like that, killing mercilessly and destroying buildings and cities. . .we can't kill them, we have no right."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Chang asked in an exasperated tone.

"Nothing." Duo whispered, his head hung so his eyes hid behind his bangs.

"What?"

"You don't have to do anything, I'll raise Gabriel on my own. . .with Rachel's help, if she wishes to do so." Duo replied, looking up at them all with glimmering tears in his eyes and a sad smile on his face, "I may not be a good role model but I'll do my best. . .at least I can feed it."

"You are noble to put your future under the bonds of parenthood, to sacrifice any dreams you might have had to take this child under your wing. . .I will assist you if ever you need a sitter for it." Asuka bowed her head to Duo while Chang glanced at her in surprise. She shot a look back at him and he swallowed whatever comment was perched on his tongue, turning to Duo and saying almost reluctantly, "I too will help, if you need me to. . ."

"And you can always count on us to help!" Quatre chimed in cheerfully with a bright smile as his wife nodded in agreement. With a nod in return, Duo said, "Thanks, you guys."

"Oooh, Duo. . ." Rachel cried out, reaching to grope for his hand as she assumed a pained writhing on the bed. Quickly turning his attention to her, he said, "Rachel! What's wrong!"

"She. . .she's going into labor. The baby's coming. . .look." Sayla pointed to a growing wet patch on the covers beneath Rachel. Jumping up, Duo panicked, saying, "AH! What's happening!"

"Her water broke, you idiot! Calm down and hold her hand!" Chang ran to the bed and propped her legs up.

"What are you doing!" Duo yelled at Chang when he saw him reaching under her dress.

"Do you want this baby to stay in there! If I don't take her underwear off, it'll be like a fish in a net!" Chang shot back snidely.

"I can do it! Get away from her!" Duo shoved Chang away, jumping to take over the birthing. One look at what was going on and Duo's face went pale. Immediately, he leapt away from the bed, grabbing Chang and shoving him back, saying, "Nevermind, you seem to know what you're doing!"

"I should, I assisted in several births in my clan. Now get over there and help her breath!" Chang commanded Duo. Just as he was trying to calm Rachel's breathing, Relena let out a cry of pain.

"Not her too!" Duo's eyes were wild with anxiety, almost forgetting Rachel until she screamed and crushed his hand. Quatre ran to Relena and said, "I'll help her! Heero, guide her through this!" Finally, in the midst of the yelling and the pains, Heero came back to his senses and went to his wife, calmly holding her hand and speaking to her. As the labors came faster and harder and the men sweated nervously, a cry unfamiliar to the others broke the tension.

"Congratulations, Duo, you have a son. . ." Chang announced, holding up the wailing, dripping child. As Chang cleaned it off, another cry pierced the air and Quatre exclaimed with a chuckle, "It's a girl!"

"Great, now I'm going to have to explain all of this to Precious. . ." Trowa sighed to Hope who merely grinned.

"It's okay, daddy, I won't ask if you don't want me to." Precious said, wiggling out of her father's arms.

"You're one lucky man, Trowa." Hope whispered. Trowa nodded and watched as his daughter ran up to Duo who was cradling his new son in his arms and just staring at him.

"Look, Precious, this is Gabriel. . .he's gonna need a big sister, do you think you can do that for him?" Duo said with a soft voice. Precious grinned and said, "Of course! What about Heelo and 'Lena's baby?"

"Well, I suppose they wouldn't mind. . ." Duo glanced over to see Heero holding the little girl in his arms, a look on his face that Duo had never seen before. He had the look of a man who had just become a father; a softened and calm air consumed Heero's body as a smile crept onto his lips, causing him to whisper, "She looks just like. . .Relena. Just like. . .an angel. . .Angel. . .what do you think, Relena?" With a weak smile, Relena responded faintly, "Yes, our Angel. . ."

"He has his eyes. . ." Rachel slowly rocked Gabriel in her arms as she stared into his intensely blue eyes filled with equal curiosity in her. Duo glanced over her shoulder, leaning his hand on the bed behind her as he said, "Huh? Whose eyes?"

"Whose do you think?" On closer inspection, he got a chill from just a single stare from his new son.

"Heero. . ." Duo muttered, taking a peek over at the other two new parents. Heero was still staring down at Angel, gently rocking her in his arms as Relena slept. He looked as if he wasn't quite sure this wasn't a dream yet, a distant look in his expression as if deep in thought. Milliardo stood off in the corner, watching him and the little bundle in his grasp with a slight tension in his form, also quite deep in thought. Out in the hall, the others stood quietly conversing while the parents got used to the new additions to their families.

"So I suppose Rachel and Duo will have to marry now. . .in order to give the child a proper family." Sayla commented, gently rubbing her own swollen belly as she leaned into Quatre's arm. He held her close as he said, "Yeah, just so Gabriel doesn't ask questions in the future or anything. . ."

"Can I be the flower girl, daddy? Daddy?" Precious tugged at his sleeve as he stood against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and eyes locked on the floor.

"Huh? I guess so. . ." Trowa said quietly. Quatre frowned in silence, watching Trowa turn his gaze to the end of the hallway away from the group.

__

Oh, Trowa. . .look beside you, not behind you. . .Quatre thought, glancing over to the woman who stood quietly by Trowa's side just feet away, her head bowed and hands folded over her skirt as an obedient servant.

"If this matter has been settled, I must bid you all farewell as I have my own country to see to." Chang said, turning to the whole group.

"Yes, we have many things that have been left unattended to these past weeks. . ." Asuka added, standing by her husband's side. They bowed and Chang said, "Contact me if anything else comes up."

"Wait, aren't you going to say goodbye to them?" Quatre motioned to the room.

"No, I will see them again, they need their privacy. Until later. . .Stacy?"

"Coming." Stacy hurried over to Chang as he walked away with his wife.

"Stacy, wait. . ." Mike called out, running over to her. She paused and he whispered something to her that made her blush as she nodded and took something from him. He assumed his position by the others to watch them leave and Chris elbowed him and said with a sly grin, "You player, you!"

"Well, our job here is done, we need to be getting back to our families as well. . ." Dexter said, the rest of the spy team joining him.

"And here I thought you were a bunch of swinging bachelors!" Quatre chuckled.

"I am!" Chris said with a grin.

"I have a wonderful wife awaiting me, she must have gotten worried by now. . ." Dexter mused.

"And I have a girlfriend who is probably wondering where I went to. . ." Mike glanced over his shoulder cautiously as if expecting her to be standing there.

"Not me! All I have is a PS2 back at my place that's been VERY neglected!" Mike said with a laugh, adjusting his shades. Mike merely glanced over his shoulder at Stacy's form slowly disappearing around the corner.

"Adieu, my fair employers! Hopefully we won't have to meet again!" Dexter said, turning and exiting down the hallway with the others in his team. Everyone said goodbye and Trowa glanced up at Quatre.

"I suppose you're next to go." Trowa muttered.

"Yeah, I do need to get home, I have duties to my country as does Chang. Plus I'd like it if my child was born in my home, not Heero's." Quatre winked before turning to his wife, "Darling, shall we go now?"

"If you're ready. . ."

"Thank you for helping me earlier, Sayla, it was good to see you again." Noin said, giving Sayla a gentle hug. At that, Quatre smiled and went over to Trowa, extending a hand as he said with a sigh, "Well, I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Trowa took his hand and got pulled into a hug that made his face turn a little red.

"Call me later, we need to talk." Quatre whispered into Trowa's ear before letting go. With a nod, Trowa resumed his place against the wall with an indignant look about him. After hugging Precious and saying goodbye to Hope, Quatre turned and led Sayla on out of the house to go home.

"I'd better check in on Milliardo, he's been in there for a while. Want to come with me, Precious?" Noin said, walking over and taking the little girl's hand. She led her into the room and quietly closed the door, leaving Trowa and Hope alone in the hallway.

"Well. . .since everyone else has left, I suppose it's my turn next. My father is probably worried sick that I haven't been home in so long." Hope said shyly, stepping away from the wall to face Trowa. He looked up and stared into her eyes as she did in return, carrying on like this for several seconds before Hope said, "I guess. . .I won't be seeing you. . .for a while."

"I guess. . ." Trowa said, turning his gaze to the side. With a sigh, she said, "Well, goodbye. . ." Hope turned and started down the hall when Trowa leapt up, stepping over to her and grabbing her arm, saying, "Hope, I. . ."


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Yeah yeah, I don't own Gundam Wing. I chose the name Quatrine for Quatre's daughter not to be cheesy but because it's his mother's name, sort of a memorial to her memory. . .or lack thereof.

Chapter 25

It's been a several months since the near-war experience. The Sanc Capitol stands half rebuilt on the quiet and grassy grounds, an air of peace about it as well as shadows cast by the evening sun. All was silent in the land except for the soft crunch of chilled grass beneath a pair of wandering feet.

"Heero!" The bundled-up man turned his attention to the front door where his wife stood, waving an arm in the air to catch his attention. He slowly made his way to the front step to meet her, calling back in his usual monotone voice, "What is it?"

"I just got a call from Duo, he says we're invited to his wedding!" Relena chirped happily.

"So he finally buried his freedom and went shopping for shackles?" Heero said, a slight grin on his lips. With a frown, Relena scolded Heero.

"Now, Heero, is that how you feel about our marriage? Just some bondage of unholy proportion?"

"Of course not, dear. . ." Heero stepped up to her and gently took her by the nap of her neck, drawing her close to kiss her. She turned her face away and he caught her cheek instead, taking the opportunity to roam down to her neck and then her shoulder.

"Heero! We're in public!" Relena argued, trying to push him away.

"I don't see anyone around. . ." He commented, continuing his free roaming. With a sigh, she shoved him back, saying, "Well, if you're quite done. . .Rachel wants me to assist her in planning the event. You may assist Duo in. . .not having a bachelor party."

"No party, why?" Heero asked innocently.

"Why? Beside being such a vile tradition, it's Rachel's wishes that he not stare at the bare breast of some exotic dancer before setting eyes on her." Relena said, twirling around and ascending the stairs.

"Okay, I'll tell him not to look above the waist."

"Heero!"

"Fine. . .ruin my fun. . ."

"What?"

"Whatever she wants!" Heero went back into the house, wandering in the direction of his office.

__

So they're finally getting married, this should be interesting. . .wonder if Duo will have any competition for her hand. . .Heero mused, opening his office door and stepping in to return to his work.

"That's right! I popped the question! So do you think you can make it to the wedding, Quatre?" Duo cheerfully spoke to his friend on his cell phone, lying sprawled out on the couch with one leg propped on the back of it.

Do you have to ask? Of course I'll be there! This is so exciting, we all thought you'd never ask her! Quatre's chipper voice sounded through the earpiece and Duo frowned indignantly.

"What! What do you mean 'we all'?"

"Well. . .frankly, Duo, you've been living together for a long time, no one thought you would want to marry her if you didn't have to!"

"WHAT! WHY YOU-" Duo shot straight up on the couch and yelled into the phone, "I'll have you know I had every intention in asking her! It just. . .wasn't the right time yet. . ."

"So the right time was after she gave birth? Or did it come so soon you didn't have a chance to ask beforehand?" Trowa appeared in the room, eavesdropping on their conversation as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Duo's eyes narrowed as he glared at him, saying in a mumbled, low voice, "I'll talk to you later, Quatre."

Okay. . . Quatre could sense something bad was about to happen as Duo quickly hung up the phone and lunged for Trowa who quickly sidestepped out of the way, allowing Duo to run into the wall and fall to the floor in a dizzy state.

"What on earth is going on out here!" Rachel hurried into the room when she heard the thump and found Duo crumpled at Trowa's feet.

"I think he had too much to drink again. . .if I was going to marry him, I'd have second thoughts. . ." Trowa slowly walked out of the room and Rachel said over her shoulder as she helped Duo up, "If you were going to marry him, I'd have to take your sexuality into question." Trowa turned his face away to hide the blush as he said, "That's not what I meant. . ."

"Can you go upstairs and change Gabriel's diaper for me while I take care of Duo?"

"Sure. . ." Trowa leapt up the stairs as Rachel dragged Duo over to the couch again, fanning his face to wake him up.

__

Why is it she always ends up taking care of that baby while I get stuck with the real one? It's not fair. . .he's a complete idiot and constantly getting into trouble or hurting himself but she still loves him. Why would someone want to marry a walking disaster like him? Why. . .Trowa thought to himself as he went into the baby's room to take care of the problem that caused Gabriel to fill the apartment with high pitched wails.

"Well, it appears that Duo has taken the big step in life. . ." Quatre said as he set down the phone, a soft smile on his face.

"What is it, dear?" Sayla approached, carrying their child with her. Quatre turned to them and said, "He's asked Rachel to marry him!"

"Oh, thank Allah! I was losing hope. . ." Sayla said cheerfully. Quatre chuckled and tickled his daughter's belly.

"We all were, right, Quatrine?" He cooed to his daughter, who giggled and gurgled in response to his playfully touch. With a soft smile, Sayla thought, _I can only hope Duo is as ready to be a father as Quatre is. . ._

"So when are they to be wed?" Sayla asked, bringing the conversation into amore positive aspect.

"Oh, I don't know, he didn't say. . .I think he got into an argument with Trowa. . ."

"Those two, honestly! They're constantly going at it like a pair of dogs fighting for last scraps!"

"Yeah. . ." _What they're fighting about isn't quite as obvious to everyone else. . .but I know. . .and it has to stop. _Quatre's smile faded as his wife left the room. Turning to his office window, he looked up at the sky with a sigh, saying, "He needs to realize that. . .he can't have her anymore. . .oh, Trowa. . ."

"I do agree, we need to have some sort of celebration. How often do we get the chance to go to a gentlemen's club?" Chang said with a sly grin, reclining in his office chair as he got cozy for a long discussion over the phone with Heero.

We can't take him to a stripper. Heero said simply, a slight tinge of boredom in his voice as he said this.

"What? On who's orders!"

The bride to be. Must be part of her religion. . .

"This has nothing to do with religion! It's a matter of tradition and to mess with tradition is unforgivable!"

__

He's taking this way too seriously. . .Heero thought to himself as he sighed.

I never figured you for the voyeur, Wufei.

"Voy-! I'll have you know I do not find such things entertaining! I am merely saying, it is a tradition for a bachelor's last night of freedom to be celebrated in a loose and sinful manner."

__

Right. . .So what do you propose we do then? She'll find out if we take him to one, the man has a weak mind when it comes to her.

"That is true, but. . .can we maybe convince her to allow just an hour's worth? Or maybe only 30 minutes! 1 minute!"

A lot can happen in a minute, Wufei. . .and besides, she's very stubborn, if you haven't noticed.

"ACK! Women, they know nothing of fun! Heero, I suppose then since you are heading up this idea that you are his best man?"

I wasn't told I was. . .

"But it's tradition that the best man plans the festivities for the groom, so you must be the best man."

Duo didn't ask me though. . .Relena just told me I was helping him plan the party.

"Then perhaps we should ask him! Because if he picked Trowa I'm sorry but that man cannot possibly plan a party if his life depended on it!"

Yeah, you'd think though after living with a circus for so many years that he'd get some idea of fun in his head. . .

"Him? Pah, I doubt it. We should call Duo and inquire as to whom he has chosen!"

Why don't we just pop over there? You're not busy, are you?

"Well, I do have a lot of paper work. . ." Chang looks over at his empty desk and sighs, "but I suppose I can spare a few moments. Let me tell Stacy to hold my calls and I'll be with you in a few seconds."

Meet me at Duo's place. Bye. Chang hung up the phone and pressed a button on his com pad.

"Stacy, hold all my calls, I'm going out for a few minutes."

Yes, Mr. Wufei! Stacy replied cheerfully. Getting up, he grabbed his jacket and pulled it on before teleporting to the Sanc Kingdom and more directly, Duo's apartment. When he arrived there, he found Heero staring at Duo's lifeless body draped on the couch.

"What on earth happened to him? Did the excitement go to his tiny little head?" Chang asked as he walked up to stand by Heero.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come in!" Rachel scuttled out of the kitchen and over to Duo with a bundled up cloth, putting it to a large lump forming on his forehead.

"We decided to pop in. Is Duo. . .available?" Heero questioned, taking another long look at the groggy man sprawled across the couch.

"Well, I suppose, he's still a little dizzy."

"The cause?" Chang asked.

"Trowa said he was drinking again."

"I'm sure. . .we need to ask him a few things, would you mind leaving?" Heero said bluntly. With a frown, Rachel mumbled, "Sure, even though it's my apartment too. . .I'll be upstairs." As soon as she was out of earshot, Heero nudged Duo with the toe of his shoe, saying, "Duo, wake up, we need to ask you something."

"Gah, I'll kill you, Trowa, just as soon as you stop running around the room. . ." Duo said in a slurred tone, wobbling into a sitting position as he groaned and held the cloth full of ice to his head.

"Get a grip, Trowa's not even here. Who's your best man?" Chang said commandingly, his arms crossed.

"Wha?" Blinking, Duo's eyes focused and he moaned, saying, "Oh, it's you guys. . .what do you want?"

"We want to know who your best man is so we can plan your party." Heero said dully.

"Party? For me? But I thought I wasn't allowed to have one!" Duo whined.

"Not a traditional one, no. . .will you just answer our question?"

"What's that?"

"Who's your best man!" Chang exclaimed, getting tired of Duo's faulty memory.

"You are!" He vaguely pointed in their direction while making karate motions to fend off Chang.

"Who? Me or Wufei?" Heero asked.

"Yes." Duo grinned.

"Argh! You baka!"

"You mean both of us?" Heero held Chang back from shaking the incoherent man.

"Uh huh! And Trowa and Quatre too!" Duo smiled before moaning and pressing the ice closer to the swelling.

"All of us? Why?"

"Cause I can't choose, okay! You're all my best friends, how can I pick just one to be my best best!"

"I guess it makes sense. . ."

"And it's better for us, we can all get together and plan the event." Chang agreed, getting enthused by the ideas popping into his head.

"I'm honored to be one of your best men." Heero said solemnly.

"I am as well! So, what do you want to do, Duo?"

"We can't ask him, it's suppose to be a surprise. Remember, tradition?"

"Right! Well then, we have some planning to do! I'll let you get back to mopping about, good day, Duo!" Chang disappeared and Heero quickly followed suit.

"Man, I think they're more of a pain than this bump on my head. I hope I'm not gonna regret making them my best men. . .ugh." At that Duo flopped over on his side and fell asleep.

"Oh! How nice to hear from you, Heero! To what do I owe this phone call?" Quatre cheerfully answered his phone as he took a seat behind his desk.

I suppose you've heard about the wedding by now. . . Heero said casually.

"Of course! Isn't it great, I never thought this day would come!"

Yeah. . .well, as one of the best men it's your duty to help plan the bachelor party for Duo.

"One of the best men? What do you mean?" Quatre blinked curiously at the remark.

He didn't tell you? Well, the four of us are his best men: You, Wufei, Trowa, and myself.

"This is so exciting! So what are we going to do? Go bowling? Visit a bar and get drunk?"

You think too small. . .and boring. Don't worry, we'll think of something good. . .something Duo will never forget for the rest of his life. . .

"Well count me in! I don't wanna miss out on the fun!"

Don't worry, you won't. Heero said, a soft laugh escaping his lips.


End file.
